Together Charmed
by VoiceOfTime
Summary: A reworking of season 6 with my own character added in.  When a young women arrives from the future, will she be their friend or their enemy?
1. Nice of You to Drop In

_Author's Note:_

_So, for any of you that have read my Doctor Who stories, this will be along the same lines. I will add in a new character of my own into the sixth season. If it goes well, I will do a sequel about the second generation. _

_This story will start in between Soul Survivor and Sword in the City and go through the sixth season. It will center mainly on Chris and Meredith, my character, but it will follow the episodes pretty faithfully. At least to begin with._

_For the purpose of this story, I'm assuming Wyatt took power when he was about eighteen and Chris was seventeen. Meredith is the same age as Wyatt, so that makes them 23 at the time this story is taking place, and Chris 22._

_I hope you guys like it!_

_Abbey _

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, but I would take Drew Fuller if you wanted to give him to me.

Ch. 1:

Chris stood in the attic, flipping through the book. He'd already been through it several times, but here he was, doing it again. He didn't have much hope that this time would be any different, but there it was. The sisters had just gotten home from the club. After yesterday's fiasco with the Faustian Deals and Leo and Chris's time traveling, they had decided to make an early night of it.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and a young woman dropped out of the air and hit the ground, rolling.

Chris stared at the women, stunned. She was obviously of Native American decent, her hair black and her eyes a dark brown.

As she started to sit up, Chris raised his hand to throw her with his powers.

"Wait!" she yelled, holding up her hands. "Chris, I'm not here to hurt you!"

Before he could say anything, the three Halliwell sisters ran into the room, having heard the commotion and Piper quickly froze the woman.

At least, she tried.

"She didn't freeze." She said. "Why didn't she freeze?"

"Please, just listen to me." The woman begged.

"Why should I?" Chris demanded angrily. "You betrayed us!"

"I'm not with him!" the women told him. "Please, you have to believe me. I'm running from him, just like you!"

"Yeah, right." Chris replied sarcastically. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"He killed Jenny!" the woman shouted as he raised his hand again. "He ran her through and left her on our bed! He killed my daughter!"

Chris lowered his hand as he staggered back.

"What?" he whispered.

"He figured out she wasn't his, so he killed her." The woman said softly. "I want the bastard to rot in hell, but short of that, I want to help you make sure he never comes to power."

"Mer." Chris whispered. "I don't-I mean-I'm so sorry."

"I'm here to help." The woman whispered. "Please, Chris. I know I made mistakes and I don't know if I can ever make up for them, but please, you've got to let me try."

"We need to talk." Chris said softly. "Privately."

"Our spot?" The woman asked.

Chris nodded and orbed away and a second later, the woman melted into the shadows.

Paige, Phoebe, and Piper stared at the empty attic.

"Okay." Paige said. "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Chris appeared underneath a tree and a second later, the woman walked out of the shadows.

"This place looks so different in the future." The woman said, looking around the small park. "It was trashed in one of the more recent battles. I wonder if he did it because he knew what it meant to us."

They stood in a well lit park at night, under a large weeping willow.

"Tell me what happened, Meredith." Chris told her.

"What's there to say?" she replied, sitting down against the trunk.

"How did he find out Jenny wasn't his?" Chris demanded.

"He took her to have her try to pull the sword from the stone." Meredith told him. She gave a hollow chuckle. "I thought I had protected her. I gave him all kinds of excuse for why she couldn't do it. She wasn't old enough, she took too much after me. I thought I had convinced him."

"Mer, what happened?" Chris asked.

Meredith pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I did so many horrible things, Chris." She said softly. "I caused so much destruction. All to keep her safe, and in the end, it didn't matter. I failed her. It was all in vain."

"Mer." Chris urged.

"He told her he was taking her out to console her for not being able to pull the sword out." She whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. "He told her it was going to be a father daughter bonding session. I really believed I had bought us time, so I didn't worry about it. I believed that he believed me. I was wrong. Oh, god, Chris, I was so wrong."

"What did he do?" Chris asked, his hands clenching at his side.

"He ran her through with that damn sword." Meredith cried. "He ran her through and left her body on our bed with a warning."

"What warning?" Chris asked.

"Just one word: traitor." Meredith replied. "The moment I saw it, I knew I had to run. For months he's been bitching about how you escaped into the past, so I figured I'd follow you."

"How did you know when I'd come back to?" he asked her.

"I figured you come back before your birth." Meredith told him. "Back when we were kids, you said that you thought whatever had made him the way he was had happened before you were born. That left a year to decide from, so I picked at random. I guess you've been here for awhile."

"Yeah." Chris replied, finally sitting next to her. "A few months."

"What did you tell the sisters?" she asked.

"That I'm a whitelighter from the future." Chris replied. "That my name's Chris Perry and that I came back to stop a great evil."

"So they don't know who you really are?" Meredith asked.

"No, and it needs to stay that way." Chris warned.

"I'll keep your secret, just like you've always kept mine." Meredith replied before hesitating. "I know you probably won't ever forgive me for what I did, but you have to know that all of it, the killings, the betrayals, every last bit of it was to protect her. I would have sold my soul if I had thought it would've kept her safe."

"I know." He replied softly. He took a deep breath. "What are you going to tell them?"

"The truth." She replied. "As much of it as I can. I've spent too long lying, I want to do as little of it as possible. I leave out things that could give you away, but I'll tell them as much as I can."

"Alright." Chris agreed. "I should warn you, they're not the most trusting people on the planet."

"Did you expect anything else?" she shot back.

"I guess not." He replied.

He stood up and, after a second, held out his hand to help her up. She looked at him for a moment before accepting his hand.

"Mer, I need to ask." Chris said. "Bianca?"

"I don't know, Chris." She replied, shaking her head. "I heard rumors that she had gone to his side, but I honestly don't know. For the most part, I think she just dropped off the radar completely."

Chris nodded his head sadly.

"Do you want a lift, or will you use the shadows to get back?" he asked.

"If you don't mind, I'm kinda wiped." She replied.

He nodded and orbed them back to the manor.

* * *

The sisters were in the attic, at a lost as to what to do. They jumped as Chris and Meredith orbed back in.

"Crystals!" Paige called, orbing the crystals around the couple.

"Paige!" Chris yelled, annoyed, as the force field .

"Explain, please." Piper told them.

"Let us out of the cage!" Chris shot back.

"Chris, we barely trust you." Phoebe told him. "Now, we're supposed to trust someone you didn't trust when she showed up?"

"So, I say again," Piper said, "explain, please."

"Please." Meredith said. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"How do we know that?" Paige asked.

"I'll explain as much as I can." Meredith promised. "And, if after, you still don't trust me, I'll leave. I swear."

The sisters exchanged a look.

"Crystal." Paige finally called.

The cage disappeared.

"Thank you." Meredith said. "I have a way to prove I'm not an enemy." She motioned to the book. "If I might?"

The three sisters looked at each other. Finally, they backed away.

"Knock yourself out." Piper said.

Meredith nodded and stepped up to the book. She hesitated a second before laying her hands on the cover and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Okay, if you're good, why do you and Chris both seem so surprised you were able to touch the book?" Phoebe asked.

"I was a good witch once." Meredith said softly. "I was orphaned when I was five and raised by the best witches I've ever known." She finally looked up at the sisters. "The Charmed Ones."

"We raised you?" Piper asked, shocked.

Meredith nodded.

"You said you were a good witch _once_." Paige said. "What happened?"

"I made a wrong choice." Meredith replied. "I choose the wrong guy. At first, I wanted to believe him when he said that everything he was doing was to protect us, but I knew in my heart it wasn't true. I was about to leave him when I found out I was pregnant. I knew it wasn't his, I knew she was the product of a one night stand, but I thought that if I could convince him she _was _his, he'd protect her. Keep her safe. I was wrong."

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"What wasn't?" Meredith asked, sighing. "Six months after Jenny was born, he took control of the magical community. No one could stop him. Those who didn't bow down were eliminated. And I stood by and watched it happen. I didn't raise a finger to stop him because I wouldn't risk losing Jenny. I stood by his side and watched as he decimated the magical community, and when it was over and there was no one who would stand against him, I took my place at his side as his queen, mother of his heir."

"You were married to the evil Chris is trying to stop?" Piper asked.

"Yes." Meredith answered. "I did so many horrible things. I learned to block the part of me that screamed that it was wrong. I destroyed everything to keep my daughter safe. Between the two of us, we brought the world to its knees. But then my daughter started to get older, and as she grew, she didn't display the right powers. I made up ever excuse I could. That she took after me, that she'd grow into them, that she was just a late bloomer. Anything to buy time to let her grow up. I thought if she just had time to grow, eventually I could get her out." She looked away from Chris. "I thought that her father, who at the time was the leader of the only resistance left, I thought he might take her when she got older."

"He would have." Chris told her. "He would've protected you both if you had just come to him. I know he would've."

"I know." She replied softly. "But it didn't matter. My husband found out Jenny was his and he killed her. I knew I'd be next, so I ran. I followed Chris into the past thinking that if I helped him stop my husband from coming to power, maybe I could make up for not protecting Jenny."

She ran her hand over the cover of the book one last time before stepping away.

"So you know Chris, then?" Paige asked.

Meredith smiled softly.

"I've known Chris my whole life." She replied. "He was one of my best friends growing up."

"If you're a witch, what are your powers?" Piper asked.

"Um, they're kind of unique." Meredith replied hesitantly, glancing at Chris.

Chris sighed.

"Meredith is the product of the joining of a powerful European line of witches and an equally powerful Native American line of shamans." He told them. "She gained the power of both sides in equal measure."

"Plain English, please." Phoebe said.

"The two types of powers combined to create a new type." Meredith explained. "I'm an elemental, but I draw my power directly from the Earth, not from an internal source of magic. Basically I run the power through me. It means I get tired easily, but I can harness tremendous amounts of energy. That and my ability to Shadow Walk comes from my Native American half. My ability to cast spells and make potions comes from my European half."

"When you say 'elemental', what do you mean?" Paige asked.

"I have the ability to harness the powers of the basic elements." Meredith replied. "Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Electricity."

"Mer, we should go try to figure out where you're going to stay." Chris interrupted.

"Where are you staying?" she asked him.

"In the back room at P3." He replied. "I guess you could stay with me, but it's going to be cramped."

"You said we raised you." Piper interrupted.

"Yeah, you did." Meredith said softly. "You three were the best moms a girl could ask for."

"Then I guess you could stay here." Piper said slowly. "You can have the guest room."

"Really?" the other four asked at the same time.

"Yeah." Piper replied. "I don't know why, but I trust her."

"Oh, so you trust her, but not me." Chris groused.

"Chris." Meredith rebuked. "I can tell her more than you can. Of course she trusts me."

Chris huffed, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you." Meredith said sincerely. "You don't know what this means to me."

"He doesn't know how you got back, right?" Chris suddenly asked.

"No." she replied. "He has a hard time touching the book any more, and I had to look hard to find the spell. I only barely remembered it. I'm sure he doesn't remember it at all."

"Well, Chris, why don't you go…do whatever it is you do when you're not bugging us, while we go get Meredith settled." Phoebe said. "By the way, what's your last name."

"Originally, it was St. James." Meredith replied. "But I changed when I was eighteen."

"To what?" Piper asked.

"Halliwell." She replied.

A/N: Okay, so I got this idea when I was sitting around and it wouldn't leave me alone. So here it is. Same rules apply, Doctor Who story comes first, but this one will function the same way. It's a reworking of season 6 and may spin off into a second story dealing with the second generation. Let me know what you think.

Also, the name is under construction. If you have any better ideas, let me know.

Abbey


	2. Starting Again

Disclaimer: I can't even begin to express how much I do not own Charmed.

Ch. 2:

Chris disappeared while the sisters got Meredith set up in the guest room. While Piper was replacing the sheets, there was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared.

"Piper." He said in greeting.

"Leo." She replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, nothing." He said awkwardly. "I just wanted to warn you that the Elders detected another time portal. There might be someone else here from the future."

"Piper, Phoebe managed to find something I could wear for th-" Meredith broke off as she walked in and saw Leo. "Oh, crap."

"Leo, meet Meredith Halliwell." Piper said. "She's from the future."

"Halliwell?" Leo questioned.

"Apparently we adopt her sometime in the future." Piper told him.

"We do?" he asked.

"Phoebe, Paige, and I do." Piper clarified.

"Ah." He replied lamely.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone." Meredith told him, glaring. "So, you can run back off to Elder-land and do whatever it is that Elders do when they're not bugging us mortals."

"What is it with you and Chris and Leo?" Piper asked.

"I don't have a problem with Leo." Meredith replied. "I barely knew him."

"Why did you come back?" Leo demanded.

"Because my husband took over the world and then murdered my daughter." Meredith sneered at him. "So, I came back to help Chris and make the bastard pay."

"All right." Piper said, getting between them. "Meredith, where's Wyatt?"

"With Paige." Meredith said, taking a deep breath. "She said she'd put him down for the night."

"Okay, well you've probably had a long day, so why don't we finish this in the morning?" Piper suggested. "Leo? Follow me?"

Piper didn't wait for a reply, just walked out the door and Leo meekly followed.

Meredith sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Chris?" she called.

A second later, the young witch appeared.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I just saw Leo." Meredith replied.

"Fun, huh?" Chris said, sitting down next to her.

"_Secrets I keep in my soul  
are only mine to give or hold  
and so with this rhyme  
Silence round will keep them mine."_

There was a flash of light and Meredith breathed easier as her spell took hold.

"What was that for?" Chris asked.

"It was a spell I created so Jenny and I could talk without him overhearing us." Meredith told him. "I figure it will keep the sisters from hearing something they shouldn't."

"Good." Chris agreed.

"How have you lasted this long?" she asked. "I wanted to punch Leo in the face and I've only been here two hours. I've already had to stop myself from saying too much five times! How do you do it?"

"With much difficulty." Chris replied, smiling. "And I know you've always been protective, but please resist punching Leo."

Meredith smiled weakly before the smile fell away.

"Chris, I have to know." She said softly. "Can I fix my mistakes, or did I lose you too?"

Chris sighed.

"I don't know." He told her. "I hope not, but you didn't just betray me. You betrayed the family. You betrayed yourself. I don't know how you begin to fix that."

"But you'll let me try?" she asked. "I don't think I can stand to lose you and Jenny. I don't think I'm strong enough."

"I hope you don't." Chris told her softly. "I already lost you once. I'd like it I could get you back."

There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared.

"Good, your here." He said, looking at Chris. "I'm removing you as the Charmed Ones Whitelighter."

"What?" Meredith demanded.

"Don't worry." Chris told her. "He does this periodically. I've got other charges and I'm only a call away." He got up and leaned down to kiss Meredith's head. "I'll see you later."

"Chris…" Meredith said softly.

"I have to believe it's all going to be alright." He told her. "That's how I do it."

She nodded and he orbed away.

"I don't trust him." Leo told Meredith. "And I don't trust you."

"And I don't like you." Meredith replied, glaring. "So why don't you orb away, and I'll try to honor my promise to Chris by not punching you."

Leo glared right back at her before orbing away.

"_Silence kept and hearts lay bare  
By those who now dwell here  
Now let silence rise  
Let sound abound._"

Meredith sighed again and went to get ready for bed.

* * *

"So," Phoebe said as she walk into the kitchen. "Have we heard from our newest time traveler yet?"

"She isn't down yet, if that's what you're asking." Piper said, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"I wonder what she said to Chris to make him trust her." Phoebe mused. "I mean, she admitted she married the evil Chris is trying to stop, so what could make him trust her again?"

"Well her husband did kill their daughter." Piper said.

"Ah ah." Phoebe said. "She said he killed _her_ daughter. Remember, she said he found she wasn't his. I wonder who the father was."

"Someone my husband didn't need another reason to hate." Came the reply.

Piper and Phoebe turned to see Meredith shuffling into the kitchen.

"He already wanted Jenny's real father dead." She said, walking straight to the cabinet and grabbing a cup. "I wasn't about to give him another reason to hunt him."

"So, did you love Jenny's father?" Phoebe asked.

"Phoebe!" Piper rebuked.

"What?" Phoebe replied. "I'm curious!"

"It's alright." Meredith interrupted. "The answer is I don't know. The three of us were the best of friends growing up, and when it became evident I had to choose between them, I couldn't. And it tore us apart. I had finally decided to chose Jenny's father when I found out I was pregnant. We were part of the resistance and we knew we were going to lose. I had to protect my baby, so I went to the other side and managed to time everything just right so my husband would believe the baby was his."

"Why do you always call him 'my husband' and never by his name?" Piper asked.

"Force of habit." Meredith replied. "You never said his name unless you wanted to attract his attention. Eventually, it became law that the only ones allowed to say his name were those of us in his inner circle and we tried to avoid it as much as possible."

"So what is his name?" Phoebe asked.

"What the hell?" Paige yelled from the other room.

The other three made their way out into the foyer to find Paige standing in front of a large pile of boxes.

"Where did all this come from?" Piper demanded.

"I don't know!" Paige replied. "I came down, and there they were."

Meredith smiled and walked over to the pile. On top was a small jewelry box attached to a letter.

_Mer-_

_I know you need clothes and stuff, so here you go. I figure you'd be happier with your own stuff then using the sisters. In the small box is just something to remember Jenny by. Don't ask how I got it. You'll be happier not knowing._

_Chris_

Meredith opened the box to find a sapphire ring nestled inside.

"Oh, wow, that's beautiful!" Phoebe said, looking over Meredith's shoulder.

"It's Jenny's birthstone." Meredith told her, her voice thick.

She silently slipped the diamond on her left ring finger off and slipped the sapphire on in its place.

"Anyone want a diamond?" she asked, holding the other ring up. "Slightly used, three carats."

"I think maybe you should keep it." Piper told her. "If nothing else, you can sell it if you need money."

Meredith seemed to think about it for a moment before slipping the ring into her pocket.

"Paige, could you orb this stuff up to my room since Chris is a loser?" Meredith asked.

"Um, sure." Paige replied.

She waved her hand and the pile disappeared in a flash of orbs.

"Thanks." Meredith replied.

She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

"Does anyone else think it's about to get a lot weirder around here?" Phoebe asked.

"Is that even possible?" Paige asked.

The three sisters exchanged a look before following Meredith back into the kitchen.

A/N: Second chapter done. I hope to start in on the actual story in the next chapter. Let me know what you think, and if you want to see Meredith's ring, you can go check it out through the link on my profile.

Abbey


	3. The Sword and the City 1

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, I would've kidnapped Drew Fuller long ago.

Ch. 3:

Paige and Richard quietly walked into the kitchen.

"Looks like they're all asleep." Richard said. "Maybe I should sneak out of here."

"No." Paige replied, turning around and wrapping her arms around him and walking backwards. "Why don't you stay for breakfast? How do you like your eggs?"

"What about your sisters?" he asked.

"What about them?" Paige asked.

She continued to walk backwards until she tripped over a pair of legs sticking out from under the sink. She slipped out of Richard's grasp and fell backwards.

"Whoa!" Richard called, trying to grab her, but he missed.

Piper stood up and brushed off her clothes before looking at Paige.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Sorry. You okay?"

"What are you doing?" Paige asked as she got to her feet.

"Trying to fix the garbage disposal." Piper replied, glancing at Richard. "What are you doing?"

"Messing around." Paige replied.

"Oh…"Piper said. "heh."

"Piper, I think I may have damaged your washing machine even worse than it was." Meredith said, walking in and freezing when she saw Richard. "Oh, hi. Richard, right?"

"Right." He replied shaking the hand she offered. "You must be Meredith."

"Uh, yeah." She replied. "So, like I was saying, if the washing machine wasn't dead before, it probably is now."

"Great." Piper sighed.

"Sorry." Meredith told her.

"No, it's fine." Piper replied. "I'll see what I can do."

"You want me to go check on Wyatt?" Meredith asked.

"Um, sure, if you don't mind." Piper answered. "I mean, Chris usually keeps his distance from Wyatt, so I figured you would too."

"Yeah, well what can I say?" Meredith replied. "Chris has issues. Shout if you need me."

She turned and left and Piper turned back to Richard and Paige.

"Oh, hey, sorry." Richard said when she looked at him. "I should have told you I was here, right?"

"No, don't be silly." Piper told him. "Paige is a big girl. She can hang out all she wants to, not that she does, a lot. I mean-"

"You can stop now." Paige told her.

"Great." Piper replied, sighing.

Richard glanced at the sink, which was filled with murky water with Fruit Loops floating on top.

"Hey, do you mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"Sure." Piper replied. "Go ahead."

"Okay." He said, flipping the disposal switch on.

"What's wrong with the disposal anyway?" Paige asked.

"Not disposing." Piper replied. "Washer not washing. Cable not cabling."

"Don't forget the sink upstairs." Paige told her.

"That's next on my list." Piper said.

"Sounds like fun." Paige said.

"That's my life, actually, all about fun." Piper replied. "At least I have Meredith now. She doesn't seem to be able to fix things, but she can at least watch Wyatt."

The two sisters watched as Richard held his hand over the clogged sink and magically unclogged it.

"There you go, as good as new." He told them.

"Hey, he's handy to have around." Paige said, smiling.

"Yeah." Piper said warily. "I thought you didn't use magic anymore."

"Just once in a while for little things." Richard replied. "You want me to fix the washer?"

"No." Piper said.

"Yes!" Paige said at the same time.

Phoebe chose this moment to walk in, two sets of earrings in her hands.

"Can you guys help me pick out some earrings?" she asked, not looking up. "Meredith was totally useless." She finally looked up and froze when she saw Richard. "Hi. I didn't know you were here."

"Hey, yeah." Richard replied, aware of the awkward atmosphere. "Well, we got in late last night."

"I see." Phoebe replied.

"He fixed the garbage disposal." Piper told her.

"Really?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm." Piper replied. "Magically."

"Really." Phoebe said.

She looked at Richard, who looked away awkwardly.

"Can you help me with my earrings out here, please?" Phoebe asked Piper, nodding to the door.

"Sure." Piper replied.

Phoebe turned and left the kitchen.

"Excuse me." Piper said, grabbing her tools and following Phoebe.

Richard and Paige watched them leave before Paige turned back to Richard.

"So, how do you like your eggs?" she asked. "Scrambled or over easy?"

* * *

Piper followed Phoebe into the dining room, phone in one hand and tool box in the other.

"Okay, listen, was that weird?" Phoebe asked.

She moved into the main hall and Piper followed.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Piper asked.

"Because I have a date with Jason, but that's besides the point." Phoebe told her. "Didn't Richard lose it the time he used magic? I mean, like, really lose it?"

"Uh, I can assure you that he stayed in complete control over the garbage disposal." Piper said. "It's 7:00 in the morning, how can you have a date?"

"Oh, 'cause it's 7:00 her, but it's evening in Hong Kong." Phoebe replied. "Okay, so you're not concerned about Richard using magic?"

"Yeah, I am, but I'm more concerned with Paige being really pissed off because we butted into her business again." Piper replied.

"Yeah, I know, but we're sisters." Phoebe protested. "That's what we're supposed to do."

"Back to your date:" Piper said. "I don't understand. Is Chris orbing you to Hong Kong?"

"No." Phoebe replied. "We're video-conferencing. We just open our laptops, and there we are, in color."

"Mm-hmm." Piper replied, smirking. "In each other's laps."

"So do you think we should talk to Paige…about…Richard?" Phoebe replied.

"We don't really know him." Piper said.

"I know." Phoebe shot back. "We don't, and neither does she. That's the problem."

Piper stared at her.

"What?" Phoebe protested. "Can't I worry?"

"From afar, yeah." Piper told her. "Now, excuse me. I have to go unclog a sink."

Piper took her tools and left. Phoebe nodded and held up her earrings before walking away.

* * *

Meredith made her way over to the playpen in the attic and set Wyatt down.

"Chris." She called.

A second later, he appeared.

"I'm not really supposed to be here." he told her.

"Yeah, well I'm one charge Leo can't take away, and I want you here." she shot back.

Chris glanced at Wyatt behind her.

"Piper has you playing babysitter?" he asked.

Meredith glanced at Wyatt and smiled softly.

"I volunteered." She replied before walking past him to the book.

"Really?" he asked, following her. "I would've thought you'd stay as far away from him as possible."

"I don't blame him for what happened." She said, opening the book and flipping through it.

"Why?" Chris demanded.

Meredith sighed and finally looked up at him.

"Because the Wyatt that killed Jenny doesn't exist." She told him. "Not yet. And if you and I can stop it, he never will. But speaking of changing things, what's with this Richard dude? If you've managed to change things so we don't get Uncle Henry, I'll personally beat your ass."

"You're just saying that because he was your main source of cash." Chris said, chuckling.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Assuming, the sisters still take me in, which we need to have another whole conversation if that doesn't happen, why would I want to give up my main income?"

"Well, if you can break them up, go for it." He told her.

Meredith huffed and went back to examining the book.

"It's amazing how small it is." She said. "I imagine you have a list of demons who might be able to corrupt Wyatt, so what have you come up with?"

"I have some ideas, and I've been having the sisters vanquish them as I come up with them." He replied, joining her at the book.

"You're such a task master." She said, grinning up at him. "Always were."

He grinned at her, but after a moment she looked away.

"Anyway." She said, clearing her throat. "Where do you want me?"

"Actually," he said, "I was hoping you could look into a way to get back."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, eventually, if we manage to finish what we meant to do, we're going to need a way back home." He told her.

"Can we get home?" she asked, curiously. "I kind of always figured that this was a one way trip for us. I mean, without the evil, we wouldn't have a reason to go back in time, so where does that leave us?"

"I don't know." He replied. "You were always better at temporal theory then me, that's why I wanted you to look into it."

She nodded. There was a sound like splashing water and they both looked to the door.

"I better go." Chris told her. "Before Leo finds out I'm here."

Meredith nodded and he orbed away.

A second later, Piper walked in.

"Um, a woman made of water just popped out of the sink, so Paige, Phoebe and I are going to go check it out." She told Meredith.

"You want me to watch Wyatt for you?" Meredith asked.

"If you don't mind." Piper replied.

"Sure thing." Meredith replied. "Be careful."

"Will do." Piper replied, kissing Wyatt goodbye before walking out.

Meredith walked over to the playpen and squatted before Wyatt.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

Wyatt grinned up at her and she smiled.

"You wanna go for a walk?" she asked him. "Let's go for a walk."

She went to the table and grabbed a piece of paper to write the note.

* * *

Paige orbed Phoebe and Piper to the park.

"Okay, so watery lady pops up from the sink." Paige said as they started looking around. "You sure she's not a demon?"

"I'm sure she needed help." Piper replied.

"What else did she say?" Phoebe asked.

"That was it." Piper told her. "Harding Park, pond, and poof."

They looked at the pond as it began to bubble and a sword slowly began to emerge.

"Over there." Piper said.

The sword was followed by a woman, holding the sword as she rose up and out of the pond. She glided through the water and moved towards them, seemingly made of water. As she reached the land, the water turned to flesh and she approached Piper.

"They're coming!" the woman said, rushing towards Piper. "Take this. It does not belong to them."

As she rushed forward, a knife hit her in the back, causing the sword to fly away from her as she fell to the ground. Behind her stood a man dressed in black, armed with a shield.

The sisters ran to the woman as two Executioner Demons appeared next to the man. The rushed past him as a sword materialized in his hand.

Paige and Phoebe stood to fight the demons, leaving Piper to tend to the woman.

As one Executioner rushed forward, Phoebe grabbed his wrist and elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to double over.

Paige stepped forward to take on her demon. He swung his axe, just barely missing her in the abdomen. He swung again and she ducked.

"Axe!" she called.

The axe orbed to her and she swung it, hitting him in the neck. He burst into fire and disappeared. Paige then watched as Phoebe head butted her demon, swung him around, grabbed his axe away and hit in the stomach with it. He burst into flame and disappeared just like his partner.

Meanwhile, Piper knelt next to the woman as the man approached them. He swung his sword around and leveled it at Piper, who responded by blasting him, which he deflected with his shield. He did take a couple steps back from the strength of the blast.

Phoebe and Paige stepped forward to stand between the man and their sister.

"I'm liking these odds." Phoebe told him.

He shimmered away and Phoebe and Paige dropped their axes.

"Wuss." Paige muttered.

They turned around to check on the woman.

"The sword." She said weakly. "The sword is…"

The woman died and her body turned back to water.

"Where'd she go?" Phoebe asked. "What did she say?"

"She said something about the sword." Piper said. "Where is it?"

Paige looked around and spotted it.

"It's in the stone." She answered.

Piper and Phoebe followed her look and gaped.

"The sword in the stone?" Phoebe asked.

Paige rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me, right?" Piper demanded.

A/N: First chapter of The Sword and the City. In the beginning, Meredith's involvement will be limited, mainly because she interacts the most with Chris and he's not in these first few chapters. That will change as the story progresses. Also, I'm kind of struggling with the voice of Charmed, mainly due to the fact that I mostly do large stories based on British works, and their tone is very different, so I'd like it if you guys told me if I'm capturing the sound of the show well. And if you get what I meant by that, you're a better person than me. Lol. Just review, please!  
Abbey


	4. The Sword and the City 2

Disclaimer: I'll trade you a dollar for Chris. Okay fine, I'm willing to go up to two.

Ch. 4:

Piper swept up what was left of the table from the conservatory floor. Where the table use to sit, a large bolder with a sword protruding from it sat.

"Okay, could you, maybe, miss the table?" Piper asked.

"Um, I'm sorry." Paige told her. "I've never orbed anything that heavy before or that…historic."

Richard stared at the sword as Piper neared it.

"Is that glowing?" he asked.

As soon as Piper turned to look at it, it stopped.

"No." she answered. "It's the sun room. There's a lotta light."

"What part of this reality aren't you getting?" Paige asked. "Sword, Stone, Lady in Lake?"

"It was a pond." Piper protested.

"You think she's from Avalon?" Richard asked Paige.

"Yeah." She replied. "I think she was flushed out by whoever's after Excalibur, the maker of kings."

"Look, we're not talking about Camelot, right?" Piper demanded. "Because that's not real."

"So you're saying you never believed in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?" Paige asked her.

"Yes, I did when I was 7, and then I grew up." Piper answered.

"Yeah." Paige agreed. "You grew up to be a witch that fights demons and silly-looking dragons."

"That's different." Piper told her. "That's real."

"And this isn't real?" Paige demanded.

"What is real are those hooded freaks." Piper said.

"Who are not gonna give up, now that the sword's out in the open." Richard added.

"How do you know?" Piper asked.

"Whoever has Excalibur is unstoppable." Richard replied.

Phoebe walked in, carrying the Book of Shadows in her arms.

"You saw the note on the table saying Meredith took Wyatt out for a walk, right?" she asked, before spotting Richard. "Oh, hi! How you doing?"

"Yes, I saw the note." Piper told her. "Now, please, put a stop to this nonsense."

"Didn't realize you were still here." Phoebe said to Richard.

"That's okay." Paige told her. "You can talk freely in front of him. Lord knows, he's been through enough."

"No, not really." Phoebe muttered.

"Phoebe." Piper said warningly.

"Look, guys, I should probably go." Richard said.

"Ah!" Phoebe said. "Don't be ridiculous. It's great."

"Okay, anyway, Book, Excalibur…?" Paige prompted.

"Yeah." Phoebe said. "Nothin'. Nada."

"Really?" Paige asked.

"Told ya." Piper said.

"You know, hey, maybe it's been out of circulation since ye olden days, and maybe no Halliwell has ever come across it before." Paige said.

"Well, we have run across these guys, executioner demons, lower-level bad asses for hire." Phoebe said, opening the book to the right page.

"Who hired them?" Piper asked.

"Uhh!" Phoebe groaned, flipping to another page. "This…higher-level bad ass."

Piper walked over to look at the entry for the Dark Knight.

"'A power-mad paladin of destruction.'" She read.

"Huh." Paige said, turning to look at Richard. "Maybe, you know, maybe we should just kinda hang out later."

"Yeah, okay." Richard agreed. "Bye."

"Bye!" Piper called as he headed to the door.

Paige glared at her before following him.

"Be careful with all this." Richard told Paige as they reached the door.

"Always." She replied, smiling. "I had a…a really good time last night."

"Me, too." Richard replied, returning the smile, before it faded.

"What?" Paige asked.

"Uh, I just don't think your sisters like me very much." He said.

"That's not true." Paige protested.

"Really?" Richard asked.

"Maybe they're just doing the overprotective-sister thing." Paige relented.

"Hmm." Richard replied. "Well, that's a good thing 'cause I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry." Paige told him.

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before hugging her.

* * *

Phoebe craned her neck to see Paige and Richard as Piper continued to read from the book.

"So he's an upper-level demon, which means, you should be able to make a vanquishing potion." She told Phoebe.

"Okay." Phoebe replied absently. "Wait. Me? Why me?"

She went back to trying to watch Paige and Richard.

"Because…Hello!" Piper said, bringing her back. "I have a few hundred things to do around here, in addition to raising a small child."

Phoebe draped her arm around Piper's shoulders.

"I know." She told her sister. "You have so much to do. You're my hero, but I can't. I have to go to work. I still don't have an assistant, and I'm swamped."

She quickly made a beeline for the door.

"But-Phoebe!" Piper called after her.

Paige walked into the Conservatory a second later, but quickly turned around when Piper looked at her.

"Paige, potion?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey." Paige said, turning around. "The temp agency's already got me a new job."

"But that hardly compares with-" Piper said, motioning to the sword.

"Come on." Paige protested. "You know there's a magical reason that I've had everyone of these jobs, and who am I to interfere with Destiny?"

"Okay, so you want me to add 'baby-sit the sword' and 'mix vanquishing potion' to my never-ending to-do list?" Piper asked her.

"At least Meredith is helping you with Wyatt." Paige pointed out.

"Ah yes, the suspicious babysitter from the future." Piper said sarcastically. "That helps so much, thank you."

"I thought you trusted her." Paige said.

"I do." Piper sighed. "It's just the same as with Chris. I feel like there's something they're both not telling us."

"They've admitted they there are things they haven't told us." Paige pointed out.

"I know." Piper replied.

"Look, sword is stuck in the stone." Paige told her. "You know it. I know it. The bad guys know it. And nobody's gonna get it out until King Arthur pulls it out, and when that happens, there'll be lots of fireworks."

"And when might that be?" Piper asked.

"How should I know?" Paige shot back. "Maybe a couple thousand years?"

She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back. She walked over to the sword, got a good grip, and pulled. She pulled again. And again.

The sword stayed firmly in place.

"Well," Paige said, shrugging. "You can't blame a girl for trying."

Piper sighed as she left and looked at the sword.

* * *

Phoebe walked up to her desk and the secretary followed her, putting a stack of files on her already covered desk as Phoebe sat down.

"Responses to last week's columns." She told Phoebe.

"Wha-?" Phoebe sputtered. "How'd you get into my e-mail?"

"Your e-mail account is maxed-out, so your fans are using ours." The secretary told her.

"Oh, I'll tell you," Phoebe grumbled as she left, "Elise better find me a new assistant because, pretty soon, she's gonna have to ask Phoebe to take my foot out of her-"

The phone began to ring and Phoebe broke off her tirade to find it. After moving a few things, she unburied it and answered it.

"Hello? Phoebe Halliwell." she said. "Oh, hey Laura. Uh, I have that down for…." She pulled out her planner and looked at it, groaning. "This morning. Oh, my god, I missed it. I'm so sorry. No, of course I can reschedule, absolutely."

"Ahem!"

Phoebe looked up to see Paige standing in her doorway.

"Actually, Laura, can I call you back when I have my book right in front of me?" she asked into the phone. "Okay, great. I'm so sorry. Thanks. Bye."

She quickly hung up.

"Hi." She told Paige, resting her head on her crossed arms, folded across her cluttered desk. "I thought you had a new temp job today."

"I do." Paige replied.

"Why aren't you there?" Phoebe asked, not lifting her head.

"Apparently, I am." Paige replied.

"What?" Phoebe asked, lifting her head to look at her sister. "Here?"

"Yep." Paige replied.

"As my assistant?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, I think, I prefer to be called your Desk Manager." Paige told her.

"Wait." Phoebe said. "But I thought you get all of your temp jobs for divine reasons."

"Usually I do." Paige replied.

"Yeah, but I don't need divine help." Phoebe told her. "I need filing and faxing and desk management help."

"I'm your girl." Paige said. "I really am. We'll just, you know, see if the divine stuff kind of appears later. It usually does."

"Yeah, but I can't tell you what to do." Phoebe scoffed. "I mean, how weird is that?"

"Well, it's no weirder than usual." Paige replied.

"Oh, I see." Phoebe said.

"Just kidding." Paige told her. "Sort of. Listen, you get back to your column. I will call Laura and reschedule. I will…" She grabbed a stack of messages and looked through them. "…help…stuff."

* * *

Piper stood in front of the washing machine as it thumped loudly and soap leaked out of the lid. Finally she reached over and wrenched the plug out of the wall.

"Perfect." She said.

She dropped the plug and headed back to check on the potion, which was bubbling over.

"Ew." She said as she turned off the stove and grabbed a towel.

"Hey, lady!" a voice said.

Piper stepped around the cluttered table to find a dwarf standing on the other side.

"We could really use an authority figure out there." He told her.

"What are you doing here?" Piper demanded.

"What am I doing here?" he shot back. "I'm getting pushed around. I just lost my place in line."

"What line?" Piper asked. "Wh-?"

He turned and walked out of the kitchen and she followed him.

In the Conservatory there was a line. A very long line, leading straight to the sword.

"But-what's going on here?" Piper demanded.

In the line was every magical creature you could think of.

"What is this?" she shouted.

"Natural selection." The dwarf replied. "Naturally, I hope the sword selects me to be king, finally get a little respect around here."

"Pfft." A satyr dismissed him as the rest of the creatures laughed.

"Oh, you people, you creatures, whatever, you can't be here." Piper told them. "You gotta go."

"We have a divine right to try our hand." An ogre told her.

"Phew!" Piper reacted to the stench emanating from him. "Wow."

"Yeah." The dwarf agreed. "Ten feet's pretty much the distance."

"Eh, back of the line, please." The Satyr told Piper. "Hoof it, sister."

"Chris?" Piper called. "Chris? Get down here."

There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared.

"Where's Chris?" Piper demanded.

"Busy." Leo replied, looking around. "What's going on?"

"Busy with what?" Piper asked.

"Other charges." Leo replied. "I took him off your account again."

"Our account?" Piper asked.

"You know what I mean." Leo told her.

"Hey, Piper!" Meredith called. "There's a huge ass line in our front hall, so I shadow walked Wyatt up for his nap. You mind telling me what the hell is going –"

She froze as she walked in through the dining room and spotted the sword.

"Oh, god." She whispered.

She staggered back and hit a chair and falling to the ground.

"Chris!" she shouted, panic in her voice. "Christopher!"

There was a flash of orbs and he appeared.

"What is it?" he asked, helping her up. "What's wrong?"

She grabbed the front of his shirt in a death grip and buried her face in his chest, her whole body shaking. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he looked around. His eyes landed on the sword and he stiffened.

"It's alright." He told her softly. "He's not here. He can't hurt you."

"Chris…" she said, her voice thick. "Jenny…he…"

"I know." He said, pulling away from her gently. "Can you shadow walk?"

She nodded and he wiped a tear off her face.

"Go to our place." He told her. "I'll meet you there."

She nodded again and a second later, she disappeared into shadow.

"What the hell is that thing doing here?" Chris demanded, rounding on Leo and Piper.

"That's none of your concern." Leo told him severely. "The Charmed Ones are not your charges. You shouldn't have answered the call."

"Mer's not a Charmed One." Chris shot back. "And she's been my charge for ages and you can't take her away from me, so I'll answer her call whenever she calls for me."

"Chris, go make sure she's alright." Piper said, intervening. "I'll send some stuff with Paige later. She can stay with you at the club until we figure out what's going on."

Chris hesitated.

"Go." She urged.

He nodded and orbed away.

"And you." Piper said, rounding on Leo. "Leave them alone and tell me what's going on."

Leo glanced back at the sword.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"No!" Piper replied. "No, it's not! Okay? Now, look, you've gotta get all these people outta here because I can't do this right now."

Leo stepped forward.

"Get-hey!" the Satyr stopped him. "Hey! No cuts, buddy."

Leo looked at Piper, who just shrugged.

* * *

Phoebe walked back into the bullpen and stopped at the secretary's desk.

"How was the staff meeting?" she asked Phoebe.

"Endless." She replied. "How's my new assistant working out?"

"She put a fire under the interns, that's for sure." The secretary replied.

"Really?" Phoebe asked. "Hmm."

She headed back to her office to find Paige sitting at her now clean desk with three male interns sitting in front of her.

"Okay, who can help me with that?" Paige asked.

All three raised their hands and Paige selected the left one.

"Great, you got it." She told him. "And what about collating and cross referencing?"

The other two raised their hands and Paige choose the middle one.

"You." She said. "And so you would have data-basing. All right. Great. You boys have your marching orders. I will check back with you in a couple hours."

The interns stood and left while Phoebe walked in, amazed.

"Wow!" she said. "Who works here?"

"You do." Paige replied. "Who rocks? That would be me. By the end of the day, we're gonna have a system in place that tracks your column ideas, your columns written, and your columns considered, plus a separate file for your questions, comments, and fan mail."

"I can't believe it." Phoebe told her.

"Well, believe it, because you, my dear, are never going to miss anything again." Paige said.

"That's good!" Phoebe said, moving to sit behind her desk as Paige vacated it.

"It is good news because you, my dear, need to concentrate." Paige told her.

"Yes, I do." Phoebe agreed.

"Yes, you do, starting with tomorrow's column." Paige continued.

"I already wrote tomorrow's column." Phoebe told her, looking at her computer.

"Yeah, you did." Paige said, nodding.

Phoebe began to type before pausing and looking at her sister.

"Uh, is there a problem with it?" she asked.

"Well, I mean, I'm no expert, but I was just thinking about this one question." Paige told her. "Okay, the girl's family wants her to break up with him because they think he's an alcoholic, and, absent of any proof, you're telling her to end it."

"Well, you know, not really end it, just slow it down a bit." Phoebe said.

"Okay, but slowing it down by not seeing each other is, in effect, ending it."

"I just think you should keep your eyes open." Phoebe muttered.

"Keep _my _eyes open?" Paige repeated.

"I mean-" Phoebe tried to cover. "I mean, I think _she_ should keep her eyes open. You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Paige said sourly. "This column's about Richard and I, isn't it?"

"No, it is not about Richard." Phoebe said. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You hate him." Paige accused. "I can tell, and, what's worse, he can tell."

"Look, Paige, if you're sensing anything from me, it's just concern." Phoebe told her. "I'm concerned that you're falling too fast for a guy you barely know."

Paige seethed at that comment, but didn't say anything.

"But, you know, it's none of my business." Phoebe said, turning back to her computer.

"You're right." Paige agreed. "It's not any of your business."

"Right." Phoebe said.

There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared.

"Hey, Piper needs your help." He told them. "Now."

* * *

The next person to try their hand at the sword was a fairy. The sight was fairly comical except to the Ogre behind her, who swatted her past Piper, who was sitting in a chair.

"Pest." He muttered as he tried to pull the sword free.

There was a flash and Leo orbed in with Phoebe and Paige.

"Oh, my!" Phoebe marveled.

"I was afraid this would happened." Paige muttered.

"You think you could have mentioned that?" Piper asked her.

"And they won't leave?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, no, no." Piper replied. "More show up every minute."

"But no bad guys yet, right?" Paige asked.

"What is that stench?" Phoebe asked, grimacing at the smell. "What is that stench?"

"We've got to get this thing out of the manor." Piper said. "Leo refuses to orb it and Chris is busy taking care of Meredith."

"What's wrong with Meredith?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, she took one look at the sword and had a panic attack." Piper told her. "Chris took her to P3."

"It's a moot point." Leo told them. "The Lady of the Lake came to the Charmed Ones for help. No one's messing with that."

"Oh, for god's sakes." Piper said, getting up. "If you will not get rid of it, then I will."

She walked over to the stone, shooing the ogre away and grabbed the sword.

No one was more surprised than Piper when it easily slipped out of the stone.

A murmur rippled through the magical creatures as the ramifications of that act occurred to them.

"Wow." Piper said, looking at the sword in her hand.

One by one, each of the creatures bowed before Piper.

A powerful gust of wind blew through the room as a whirlwind descended from the ceiling and coalesced into a man in grey. He looked at Piper with the sword and walked towards her.

"I bet you didn't expect this when you got up this morning." He told her.

"I-" Piper sputtered as he stood behind her and put his hand on her shoulders.

"The sword has chosen." He announced. "You are the new savior, the Champion of Good, and Master of Excalibur. Welcome to your new destiny."

"Oh, crap." Piper moaned.

* * *

Chris brought Meredith a cup of water and sat down on the bed next to her.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said. "It was just a shock, seeing the sword. I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me. You should get back to work."

"I don't have anything better to do than babysit you." He replied, gently pushing her with his shoulder. "Besides, you have every reason to freak out. You just lost your daughter."

Meredith studied him as he looked anywhere but her.

"I'm not the only one who lost a daughter, am I?" she said softly.

A/N: Okay, so how many of you were actually surprised that Chris was Jenny's father? Not many? I figured. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	5. The Sword and the City 3

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, well, I wouldn't be writing this, would I?

Ch. 5:

"I'm not the only one who lost a daughter, am I?" Meredith said softly.

Chris got up and walked away.

"We never even talked about it." She said softly. "Frankly, I'm surprised you trust me at all. That you're willing to be in the same room as me. I took your daughter and ran to your evil brother to convince him it was his. You should hate me and you would be right to."

"You did what you thought was right." He said, his back to her.

"I did what I thought would keep me alive and didn't consider what you thought about it." She replied.

She sighed and got up, taking her top shirt off, leaving only her tank top.

"It's really hot in this place in the day time." She complained.

Chris chuckled and turned back to her. When he saw her shoulder, the chuckle died.

"When did that happen?" he asked, motioning to a spidery scar on her shoulder.

"Oh." She said, glancing at it. "One of the resistance attacks on Wyatt in the early days. I was caught in the cross fire."

"I gave strict orders that you and Jenny weren't to be hurt." He said angrily. "Who did that?"

"It's not important." Meredith said, turning away and putting her top shirt back on. "I don't even remember."

"Mer." Chris said gently, turning her back to face him.

"Chris, you don't want me to answer that." She told him, looking down. "You really don't."

Chris stared at her for a moment before his face went hard.

"Bianca." He ground out.

He turned and walked to the table, grasping it hard.

"Chris, she's not the only one who blames me for what happened." Meredith said. "A lot of people do. They look at the way I treated you two and they blame me for driving you and your brother apart. And they didn't even know about Jenny. I lived it, and I blame me."

"It wasn't your fault." Chris told her.

"You're telling me that my not being able to choose between you and Wyatt didn't make things worse?" she demanded. "That the fact that both of you wanted me to choose you didn't make the divide worse? I knew all along that I should leave, get away from both of you, but I couldn't stand the thought of not being near you. So I stayed and I made things worse. Bianca loved you and she saw what I was doing to you. Of course she hated me. I hate me."

"I asked her to marry me." He said softly.

"I know." Meredith replied. "For a world that was being destroyed, the grapevine was amazingly intact."

Chris laughed weakly.

"I was happy for you." She said softly. "All I ever wanted for both of you was for you to be happy. I had hurt you so much. If Bianca helped heal it at all, I would have performed the service myself."

"Did you love me?" he asked, not turning around. "At all?"

Meredith sighed.

"I was going to choose you." She said, sitting down on the bed. "I thought that if we were going to die, you were the one I wanted to be with. That night, the night Jenny was conceived, that's what I was coming to tell you. But then we were attacked, and the attacks didn't stop, and the next thing I knew, I was pregnant. I was so scared. It was one thing to die when it was just you and me, but I couldn't let my baby die. I had to save her and Wyatt was decimating us, even if we didn't know it was him yet. When I went to him, I fully believed I was going to tell him I was pregnant and that it was yours. I was going to ask him to help us. To finally get off his ass and fight. But I got there and I saw how untouched the manor was. He had never been attacked, not once. That was the moment I knew. I was going to turn and run, but some of his demons found me and brought me to him. I couldn't think of a way out so I did what I had to, to survive."

She got up and went over to him.

"I wanted to get a message to you." She told him. "I wanted to tell you that the moment I could, I would get Jenny out. Get her to you, even if I couldn't come. But the days turned into weeks, into months. Before I knew it, they were years, and I hadn't even told you Jenny was yours."

"I knew." He said, sighing. "I don't know how, but I knew she was mine."

Chris finally turned and looked at her.

"When you left, I thought it meant you didn't think I could protect you and the baby." He told her. "Everyone said that you were a traitor or a spy, but I didn't believe that. I wouldn't. But then no word came. When he took power and Jenny was born and he declared you queen and her his heir, I didn't know what to do. And Bianca was there."

"She picked up the pieces I left." Meredith said, nodding.

"Even then, I couldn't bring myself to hate you." He continued. "Even as we were planning ways to get married, I wondered about you. If you were alright, if Jenny was alright. When I told Bianca I was coming here, she was so mad. She said I was running away from my second choice."

"That's not you." Meredith told him. "I've never seen you make a decision that you didn't stick to. She was just mad."

Chris sighed.

"Where does this leave us?" he asked.

"I don't know." Meredith replied.

"Everything's so messed up." Chris sighed.

"Tell me about it." Meredith agreed.

She turned back around, sighing.

"You know what I miss?" she asked, sitting back down.

He turned and leaned on the table, looking at her.

"What?" he asked.

"The days when we were kids and we never went anywhere without each other." Meredith said, smiling. "Do you remember when we were like 8 and 9, and Piper decided to send us to normal schools? All we had ever known was Magic School, and we were all together, but then, suddenly we had to be in separate classes?"

"I thought mom was going to kill you after the tantrum you threw." Chris said, chuckling.

"Hey, they had just told me I couldn't stay with my best friend." Meredith defended herself. "Excuse me if I was a little pissed."

"A little?" Chris shot back. "You almost burn down the house!"

Meredith laughed.

"Okay, so it was a slight overreaction." She conceded.

The two friend's smiles became sad.

"I miss the days when you were my best friend in the whole world." Meredith said softly. "What happened to us? Where did everything go wrong? How did I wind up on the opposite side from you?"

"I don't know." Chris replied. "And I don't know where we go from here, but maybe that's where it's starts."

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked.

"Friends." He said, sitting next to her. "We start from there, and this time we don't let things come between us."

Meredith smiled.

"I'd like that." She replied, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Good." He replied.

* * *

Phoebe ushered the dwarf to the front door.

"Okay, let's go." She said. "Nothing to see here anymore, no more show. Adios. Scram."

"Your Majesty, seriously, anything at all-" the dwarf called. "Castles built, suits of armor-you name it, I got connections."

He sped out of the front door, stopping to smell a flower, before speeding off again and Phoebe shut the door. She sighed and made her way back into the living room. Piper was standing there, admiring Excalibur, with Leo behind her.

"Is it just me, or does it still smell like ogre in here?" Phoebe asked as she sat down.

"I'm telling you guys, this is all a big mistake." Piper said, setting the sword down as she sat on the couch.

The sword glowed and slide across the table towards her and she held her hand.

"Stop that." She ordered.

"It's drawn to you, just like you're drawn to it." The man in grey told her.

"Do I look like I'm drawn to it, pal?" Piper demanded.

"You will be in time." He replied.

"No." Piper told him. "I don't have time to play Queen Arthur."

Paige walked in, carrying Wyatt in her arms. She handed him to his father, who took him and sat on the piano bench, before sitting next to Phoebe.

"Oh, come on, Piper, have a little fun." She told her sister. "Don't you realize what this means?"

"One more thing on my to do list?" Piper replied.

"No!" Paige said. "It means you, my dear, are The Chosen One, the first in centuries to have power over the sword. Tell her all about it, Merlin."

"Oh, actually, the name's Mordaunt." The man in grey said, turning to Paige. "Merlin was just a fairy tale."

"Ha!" Piper said.

"But Camelot was not." Mordaunt continued.

"A-ha!" Paige shot back.

"And, thanks to you, it can rise again." Mordaunt told Piper.

"So what are you?" Paige asked him. "A wizard, a sorcerer?"

"Oh, actually, I'm neither." He told her, chuckling. "I'm just a humble teacher in service of the sword, and we must begin instruction immediately, before you enemy attacks."

"The Dark Knight." Paige said.

"You know him?" Mordaunt asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Phoebe replied. "We've already kicked his ass."

"And if he shows up again, we have a vanquishing potion ready and waiting." Piper added.

"What's in it?" Mordaunt asked.

"It's a mandrake variation with a little bit of griffin's blood." Piper replied.

"Good…" he said, "if you're going up against a pusteous knave, which you're not. If you want to fight the Dark Knight with magic, this is what you need…"

He held out his hand and a paper appeared out of thin air.

"I thought you said you weren't a sorcerer." Leo said.

"I picked up a few things along the way." Mordaunt said, handing the paper to Phoebe. "The Dark Knight is no trifle. You'll have to hit him with everything you have."

"I've never even heard of half of these ingredients." Phoebe said, looking the recipe over.

"It looks like you picked up quite a bit." Leo said cautiously, looking at Phoebe. "What do you think?"

Phoebe was quiet for a moment while she tried to get a feeling off him.

"Can't get a read on him." She said, giving up.

"Distrust is expected, but don't let it blind you." Mordaunt told them. "If I haven't taught Piper how to master the sword before the Dark Knight returns, your survival depends on that potion."

Piper picked up the sword to look at it while Phoebe looked down at the list.

"Okay, so where are we supposed to get the ingredients?" Phoebe asked.

"I think I know a place." Paige said. "Leave it to me, your trusty assistant."

She reached over and orbed them both out.

"All right," Leo said, "I guess I will go check with the other Elders and see what they know. You want me to take Wyatt?"

Piper didn't respond.

"Piper?" he asked again.

"Hmm?" she replied, her eyes fixed on the sword.

"Do you want me to take Wyatt with me?" Leo asked again.

"Yeah, yeah." Piper replied. "Or you could take him to Meredith, if you want."

"I don't trust her." Leo told Piper.

"Yeah, but she's great with Wyatt." Piper said. "Whatever, you wanna take him, be my guest."

Leo orbed out without waiting.

"I'll be fine." She finished.

She stood up with the sword in hand while Mordaunt studied her. He held out his hand and a large sword appeared in it, which he promptly began swinging.

"En garde!" he yelled.

"Aha!" Piper gasped as she blocked his attack.

In fact, every blow Mordaunt gave, she countered perfectly. Finally, Mordaunt lowered his sword, smiling.

"Not bad." He told her. "Better than Arthur's first time."

"Really?" Piper asked as he stepped back, swinging his sword again.

"Now, I'm gonna come in low." He told her. "Believe in Excalibur. Just let it flow through you."

"No, no, wait!" Piper called as he came at her.

The training continued.

* * *

Chris was sitting at the table reading, while Meredith slept on the bed behind him. He heard a noise and turned to see her tossing in the bed.

"No." he heard her whisper. "Please. Please. Don't."

The tossing got more violent and he got up from his seat. Before he could reach her, she shot straight up and a bolt of electricity hit the wall behind Chris as he ducked.

She sat in the bed, breathing heavily as Chris got to his feet.

"Mer." He said gently.

She twisted violently to stare at him.

"Mer, it's me." He said in the same tone. "It's Chris."

"Chris." She whispered.

She stared at him for a moment longer before bursting into sobs. Chris quickly made his way to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Shh." He said, trying to comfort her. "It's alright, you're safe. I've got you."

"She's gone, Chris." Meredith sobbed. "I let him kill our little girl. She's really gone."

"I know." He told her, holding her tightly. "But it wasn't your fault. You did the best you could. It isn't your fault."

Chris continued to hold her as she cried for herself and for her daughter.

* * *

Richard led Phoebe and Paige right to a pantry and turned on the light inside.

"I think we've got everything you need." He told them. "Plant roots, fungi, herbs, creature parts, insects-"

"Creature parts?" Phoebe interrupted as she looked around the room.

"Uh, fairy wings." Richard told her.

"Wait." Phoebe said warily, turning to face him. "Fairy wings?"

"Well, I didn't kill them, if that's what you're wondering." Richard told her.

"Then how'd you get 'em?" she asked.

"Uh, Phoebe." Paige warned.

"Actually, I'm not sure." Richard told her. "My family's been stockpiling this stuff for years because of the feud."

"Yeah, but the feud's over, right?" Phoebe asked.

"Hey, you know, I think we're gonna need a mortar and pestle for the potion." Paige interrupted. "Do you have one?"

"Yeah." Richard said, sighing.

He left and Paige glared at Phoebe.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"You don't have to treat him like he's evil." Paige told her.

"Paige, I'm just reacting to what I see." Phoebe defended herself. "I mean, how many guys do you know that stockpile gremlin ears?"

"Okay, first your not-so-subtle column and now this." Paige said. "Why don't you just come out and admit it? You hate him."

"Paige, I don't hate him." Phoebe told her. "I'm just worried."

"Well, don't worry 'cause I know what I'm doing." Paige shot back.

"Okay, so are you telling me that it doesn't bother you at all that he's using magic again, or that he had this-this room hidden?" Phoebe demanded.

"What part of 'This is not your business' are you not getting?" Paige asked.

"Oh, Paige, I'm worried about you, okay?" Phoebe said. "Just like you were worried about me when I was dating a demon."

"Richard is not a demon." Paige hissed.

"No." Phoebe agreed. "I know he's not a demon, Paige, but he has a dark side and power magic, and that's a very dangerous combination. I'm worried about you, okay? I'm sorry."

Richard chose this moment to reappear with the mortar and pestle.

"Here." he said, handing it to Paige.

"Thanks." She replied, setting it down on the table.

"Everything all right?" Richard asked, looking between the two sisters.

Phoebe sighed.

"Let's just get this over with." Paige said.

* * *

The training between Piper and Mordaunt continued through the house and up into the attic. The swords clanged as Piper blocked Mordaunt's swing and jumped up onto a box to counterattack. He blocked it and swung low. Piper jumped over the sword and landed on the floor. She struck at Mordaunt and he blocked, she swung again, and he barely moved out of striking distance. She thrust and he blocked. She advanced, he backed away. The swords clanged one last time before Piper disarmed him and pinned him against the wall at sword point.

"You're a quick study." Mordaunt told her.

"You're a good teacher." Piper replied.

"So, you feel the sword's power?" he asked her.

"Yes." She replied.

"How's it feel?" he asked.

"Not bad." Piper replied with a smirk.

"You and Excalibur are becoming one." Mordaunt told her. "Soon nothing will matter, nothing except the desire to rule."

Piper waited a second longer before removing the sword from Mordaunt's neck.

Suddenly, the Dark Knight appeared with three Executioner Demons.

"You." The Dark Knight said, recognizing Mordaunt.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Mordaunt replied, turning back to Piper. "Take him."

The Dark Knight attacked and Piper turned and blocked the blow. Seeing his chance, Mordaunt rolled across the floor and grabbed his fallen sword, blocking the blows of the Executioner Demons as he brought it to bare.

* * *

Paige crushed leaves in the mortar while reading the ingredients to Phoebe, who stood over the pot.

"Wearboar tusk, one pinch." Paige read.

"Okay." Phoebe said, adding it.

Outside, Richard paced as they worked on the potion.

"Nymph hair, one lock." Paige read.

"Oh, I hope this isn't from someone we know." Phoebe muttered.

Paige cast her an irritated look as Phoebe cast it into the pot.

"Wraith essence, three drops." Paige continued reading.

"One, two, three." Phoebe counted as she dropped it into the pot.

"And, uh, 'black poppy, one level teaspoon'." Paige continued.

Phoebe raised the scoop over the pot.

"I've never even heard of black-" she began.

"No!" Richard yelled.

He waved his hand and Phoebe flew away from the table and slide to a stop at his feet. Paige rushed to help her up.

"Phoebe, you okay?" she asked.

As she helped her sister up, Richard moved into the room and took a tiny pinch of the black poppy between his fingers before moving back towards the girls.

"Richard?" Paige questioned.

"Wait." He told her. "Watch."

He leaned forward and tossed the pinch into the mixture. A second later, the pot exploded.

"Ooh!" Phoebe said, jumping.

"Don't ever mix Wraith Essence and Black Poppy." Richard told them. "Ever."

"Why would Mordaunt do this?" Paige asked.

They all turned to look at the destroyed cauldron.

"Because he wants you dead." Richard replied.

A/N: So what do you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey


	6. The Sword and the City 4

Disclaimer: If I promised to give them back, can I just borrow Leo, Chris, Wyatt, Cole, Coop, and Henry?

A/N: Chris and Meredith don't appear in this chapter, so if you know how this part goes, you can just skip it I guess.

Ch. 6:

Mordaunt blocked the Executioner's blows until he backhanded Mordaunt across the cheek, sending him to the floor.

Behind him, Piper ran one of the Executioners through with Excalibur. She pulled it out and the demon disappeared in a burst of fire and smoke. She smoothly got to her feet and swung Excalibur into the next demon, who also vanished.

The third Executioner Demon got to his feet and charged at Mordaunt while the Dark Knight attacked Piper. As they fought, Piper and Mordaunt changed places as if they had been doing this for years. Mordaunt locked swords with the Dark Knight and the Dark Knight grabbed Mordaunt's wrists in return.

"I thought we made a deal." He said quietly.

"I don't need you to get the sword anymore." Mordaunt whispered in return.

Behind them, Piper continued to fight the Executioner Demon.

"I've got her." He told the Dark Knight.

Mordaunt pushed the Dark Knight away and Piper twisted and took out both him and the Executioner Demon in one swing.

"Your assimilation is complete." Mordaunt told her. "You are now one with Excalibur."

"Now what?" Piper asked.

There was a flash of orbs and Paige and Phoebe appeared. Piper rounded on them and raised Excalibur in expectation of another attack.

"It's just us." Paige said quickly, raising her hand.

"He's not what you think he is." Phoebe told Piper.

"He tried to kill us." Paige added.

"He wants the sword." Phoebe told her.

"But the sword chose me." Piper replied.

"No, he's just using you." Paige told her. "He wants the power of the sword for himself."

"You're not meant to control the sword." Phoebe told her sister.

"But I _do_ control it." Piper protested.

Mordaunt glanced at Piper before returning his gaze back to her sisters.

"And you don't think I can." Piper said with realization.

"Perhaps we should leave." Mordaunt suggested.

"Uh, Paige!" Phoebe said quickly. "Paige, Paige, Paige!"

"Excalibur!" Paige said, holding out her hand and calling for the sword.

Piper looked down at the sword as it began to orb away from her. She raised the sword and it solidified again.

"Don't do that again." Piper told her shocked sisters.

"It appears your Queen has spoken." Mordaunt told them.

A second later, he and Piper disappeared in a whirlwind of white smoke.

"Her Majesty has left the building." Phoebe said sarcastically.

"Or Her Madness." Paige replied.

* * *

Piper stood in front of a round table, a pentagram etched in it, dressed all in black with Excalibur laying in front of her. Around her was a cave with different colored banners hanging from the walls.

"Doesn't look like much of a kingdom." She said as Mordaunt came to stand behind her.

"This is just where it begins." He told her. "Where you form your inner circle."

"Let me guess." Piper said. "The Knights of the Round Table?"

Mordaunt stepped forward and rested his hands on her arms.

"The Knights of _Your _Round Table." He told her. "You're on a new path now, a new destiny."

"That's good 'cause I was getting a little bored of the old one." Piper replied.

"A world of adventure awaits you." Mordaunt told her. "Warfare, Conquest…Camelot."

"And what exactly is Camelot?" Piper asked.

He turned her around to look at him.

"Whatever you want it to be." He replied. "It's your kingdom to make."

"Could you be a little more specific?" Piper pushed.

"There will be no one above you, no one to challenge you." Mordaunt told her. "You will have free reign to reshape the way things are and to create a world of your dreams." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "All will bow down before you. All will serve your every desire."

"Including you?" Piper asked.

"Especially me, My Queen." He replied softly.

He leaned down and kissed her.

While Piper was distracted, Mordaunt reached for Excalibur. When the sword glowed and moved away from him, he broke the kiss.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

"Well, we must build your kingdom first." Mordaunt told her. "And to do that, we need to fill your round table with knights."

"Very well." Piper said, moving away. "I have a few ideas."

"No." Mordaunt interrupted. "Let me be your council. I know best who will serve you well, but they won't come easily. You must challenge them on fields of battle, force them to join you."

Mordaunt watched Piper enviously as she reached behind her and picked up Excalibur.

"I think I can do that." She said.

* * *

Leo stood staring at the stone as Paige scryed for Piper and Phoebe carried Wyatt into the room and put him in his playpen.

"Anything?" Leo asked Paige.

"Nope." She replied. "Can't find Piper anywhere."

"Well, keep looking." Leo replied. "She's bound to show up somewhere."

"Yeah?" Paige asked. "To do what?"

"I don't know." Leo admitted.

"I don't understand." Phoebe burst out. "If she wasn't supposed to pull the sword out of the stone, then why was she able to?"

"Because, according to the other Elders, she was only meant to pass it on to whomever was really meant for it." Leo told her.

"Okay, so she's not the new King Arthur, but she is the new Lady of the Lake?" Phoebe asked.

"Basically, yeah." Leo replied.

"Okay, so why is it turning her evil?" Paige asked.

"Because only the ultimate power on Earth can handle Excalibur." Leo answered. "That's why the Lady stayed in the lake, to insulate herself from the power of the sword."

"Okay, so we should find Piper and then drown her." Paige said sarcastically.

Leo glared at her.

"Oh, I'm just kidding, Leo." She told him.

"It's no joke." Leo said. "It's the only way to keep the power from consuming her, destroying her."

"Still, what does Mordaunt want with Piper?" Phoebe asked. "I mean, he's tricky, but he is hardly the ultimate power on Earth."

"But he could use Piper to become that power." Leo told them.

The scrying crystal interrupted them by crashing down onto the map. Paige looked down at the map before looking up at Leo.

"Guess who just surfaced." She said.

* * *

A dirty looking demon went flying and crashed into the ground. Piper stepped forward and pointed Excalibur at the demon's neck.

"Should I kill him?" Piper asked.

"You're the Queen." Mordaunt replied.

"I need one more knight to sit at my round table." Piper told the demon. "Care to join me?"

"Join you?" the demon asked. "Which side are you on?"

"All we're interested in is the greatest power." Mordaunt told him. "Become one of us."

"What he said." Piper said.

"What do I get out of it?" the demon asked.

"You?" Piper asked. "You get to live."

There was flash as Paige and Phoebe orbed in.

"Piper!" Paige yelled.

"I should have know it was a trap!" the demon said, preparing to run away.

"You, stay put." Piper ordered the demon before looking at her sisters. "You, I warned you."

"Sorry, your majesty." Phoebe told her.

She threw a vial at Piper, who raised Excalibur to deflect it. It exploded harmlessly and Phoebe motioned to Paige.

"Paige, now!" she said. "Orb her!"

Paige orbed away just as Piper threw Excalibur. The sword passed through the orbs and swooshed past Phoebe before embedding itself in an old heater.

Paige appeared behind Piper and grabbed her, but Piper just broke the hold and flipped Paige over her shoulder. Then she held out her hand and Excalibur flew back to her.

"Impressive, huh?" Mordaunt asked the demon. "Now, make your queen proud."

The demon smiled and shot bolts of electricity at both Paige and Phoebe, hitting them in the chest and sending them to the ground. As they hit the ground, their souls separated from their bodies.

"What just happened?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's good." Phoebe replied.

They watched helplessly as Piper, Mordaunt, and the demon disappeared in a gust of wind.

Phoebe sighed as Paige looked around.

"Leo?"

* * *

A lightning bolt struck down as the demon joined the others already at the table.

"Welcome." Piper said as she walked towards the empty chair. "I assume you're all wondering why you've been gathered here, but don't worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already. You are the chose few who will help chart a new world order, united under me."

"Excuse me, your majesty." Mordaunt interrupted. "We're getting ahead of ourselves."

"Are we?" Piper asked.

"The small matter of the loyalty oath?" Mordaunt reminded her.

"Oh, yeah." Piper said, motioning for him to step forward. "That's right. Uh…administer that oath."

Mordaunt stepped in front of the empty chair.

"If you will all put your left hand…" he said as one demon growled. "Or claw, on one of the five points of the pentagram in front of you." Each demon did so and he began to chant. "Beraxi…Cotrah…Mierrahh!"

The pentagram began to glow and the power emanating from the pentagram struck out at each of the demons. As the light began to consume them, they began to shake.

"Supreme demonic powers," Mordaunt chanted, "leave your hosts and find a new home in this willing heart!"

Piper watched in confusion as the demons were totally consumed.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "Stop!"

Mordaunt ignored her, his eyes shining as the power flowed from the lines of the pentagram and into him.

As the last demon's power flowed into him, Mordaunt sat back, panting.

"You vanquished all my knights." Piper accused as he grinned. "Why?"

Mordaunt raised his hand and Excalibur flew into it.

"Fulfilling my centuries-old quest to control Excalibur." He answered her, studying the sword in his hand.

"But it belongs to me." Piper protested.

"No, it doesn't." Mordaunt told her. "It never did."

He got to his feet and looked at her.

"But thanks to you and the combined powers of your knights, now it belongs to me." He continued. "I'm the Ultimate Power."

"I don't understand." Piper said.

"It's simply a transfer of power, that's all." Mordaunt explained. "And now, all that remains to do is to eliminate the true recipient of Excalibur before he grows old enough to fulfill his Destiny as the Son of a Charmed One."

"You can't hurt him." Piper told him. "He's protected."

"I couldn't before…" Mordaunt said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "but I can with this."

He ran Piper through with Excalibur. She gasped as he pulled the sword free and stared down at her.

A/N: So, I know Chris and Meredith weren't in this, but they'll be back next chapter where I'll begin to change things. Please still review. It feeds my ego. And God knows it needs the help.

Abbey


	7. The Sword and the City 5

Disclaimer: I own basically nothing, so will you just let me pretend?

Ch. 7:

Leo paced the floor while Phoebe scryed and Paige lay on the couch.

"Owww!" she moaned.

"Feeling any better?" Leo asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure 'ow' signifies that I am not, in fact, feeling any better." Paige groused.

She sat up, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"Oh, I am getting tired of this whole soul separating from my body thing." She complained. "It's getting to be a disturbing pattern."

"It was pretty close, too." Leo told her. "Your souls were getting ready to move on."

"Move on to where exactly?" Paige asked slyly.

"Nice try." Leo said, shaking his head with a smile.

"I cannot believe Piper." Phoebe complained. "Did you see that look in her eyes?"

"Hey, at least it looked like she was having fun for once." Paige said.

"Find her yet?" Leo asked.

"No, nothing." Phoebe replied.

"Well, keep trying." Leo told her. "Just like last time, they can't do anything till they resurface."

"Yeah, unless Mordaunt wants her to help him rule the underworld." Paige said.

"There's got to be another way to get her out of this." Phoebe said.

"Sure wish we knew who King Arthur is." Paige said.

Phoebe got a look on her face.

"What?" Paige asked warily.

"Why did Meredith have such a violent reaction to the sword?" Phoebe asked.

"Because her daughter was killed with a sword." Paige replied.

"What if it wasn't just a sword." Phoebe said. "What if it was that sword."

"You think her husband is the true master of the sword?" Paige asked.

"One way to find out." Phoebe answered. "Chris? Meredith? We need to talk to you!"

There was a moment of waiting, but then Chris appeared in a flash of orbs and Meredith stepped out of the shadows.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked.

"Piper pulled the sword from the stone and now it's turning her evil." Paige summed up.

"Piper pulled the sword?" Meredith demanded. "But she's not meant to control it."

"Who is?" Phoebe asked.

"Don't answer that." Leo ordered. "You can't reveal future information."

"Why?" Meredith asked. "The answer's fairly obvious."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"Who's the strongest magical being currently on Earth?" Chris asked.

They all turned to look at Wyatt in his playpen.

"No…" Paige said.

"It's Wyatt." Phoebe said. "Oh, my God, it has to be."

Paige glanced back at Meredith.

"We thought your husband might have been the one." She told her. "That maybe that's why you reacted like that to the sword."

Meredith looked away.

"But you just said it was Wyatt." Phoebe protested.

Meredith exchanged a look with Chris before taking a deep breath.

"My husband eventually controlled the sword." She said cagily. "It was the weapon he used to murder my daughter."

"But how?" Phoebe asked.

Leo suddenly collapsed, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.

"What-what's the matter?" Phoebe asked, worried.

"It's Piper." Leo said, wincing. "She's hurt."

Phoebe's crystal hit the map.

"Harding Park." She said. "Let's go."

Phoebe stood up and Paige got to her feet.

"I got Wyatt." Paige said.

"Chris, go with them." Meredith said.

"No, I should stay here and help protect Wyatt." He protested.

"I have the more powerful offensive power." Meredith disagreed. "Go. They may need your whitelighter powers." She turned to Leo. "Don't even try to fight me on this."

Leo hesitated before nodding. He, Phoebe, and Chris orbed away as Meredith and Paige walked over to Wyatt's playpen.

* * *

"Don't worry…" Mordaunt said as he laid Piper on the ground. "It'll all be over soon. Once they come for you, I'll go for him."

Piper didn't respond. Mordaunt heard the orbs and whirlwinded away.

"Hurry!" Phoebe urged as they ran towards Piper. "Hurry, hurry!"

Leo kneeled next to her and Chris went down on the other side of her.

"It's alright, Piper, we're here." he told her softly. "You're gonna be okay."

Leo put his hands over her and they began to glow. A second later, Piper sat up with a gasp.

"Where's Wyatt?" she demanded.

* * *

Mordaunt approached the playpen and looked inside.

"My apologies, King Wyatt." He said. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

He raised Excalibur and brought it down viciously on the small form in the pen. He raised the sword again to find a teddy bear skewered on the end.

"What?" he demanded furiously.

He threw the bear to ground as Paige and Wyatt orbed into the room, Meredith stepping out of the shadows a second later.

"Oh, and that's his favorite teddy bear." Paige said.

Mordaunt spun around and held the sword out in front of him. A second later, a ring of tall fire sprung up around him, forcing him back.

"I wouldn't threaten us, if I were you." Meredith said, her voice strained with the exertion of holding the ring in place.

A second later, Leo, Phoebe, Piper, and Chris orbed into the room.

"Sweetie." Piper said as she reached for her son.

Paige immediately handed him to his mother.

"Bet you didn't expect this when you got up this morning." Piper said when her son was in her arms.

"But I've still got Excalibur!" Mordaunt growled, still flinching away from the fire.

Chris went to Meredith's side and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her up.

"Not for long." Phoebe replied.

"Go for it, Wyatt." Leo whispered.

Wyatt looked at Leo and everyone looked at Wyatt. Finally, the sword lifted away from Mordaunt and as it came to Wyatt, Meredith let the ring die, sagging into Chris's side and hiding her face in his chest.

Wyatt put his hand down and Excalibur zoomed towards Mordaunt, impaling him through the chest. As the sword began to glow gold, Mordaunt started to smoke. Finally, he exploded and vanished.

Excalibur landed tip down in the floor.

"Okay, sweetie, that's very, very good." Piper said warily as she walked towards the sword. "But we need to put this away so you don't put an eye out…at least until you're 18."

She pulled the sword from the floor and carried it back to the boulder, where it slipped back in easily. There it sat, glowing gently.

"How are you?" Paige asked her.

"Oh, fine." Piper replied. "Think you can orb this into the attic?"

"Absolutely." Paige replied.

She waved her hand and at the same moment, Meredith pushed Chris. Both the stone and the man orbed away.

"Away from any furniture?" Piper asked.

"It's alright!" Chris yelled from the attic. "I got it in time!"

He orbed back down.

"Thank you, Chris." Piper told him. "That's one less thing on my list."

The others laughed.

Piper handed Wyatt to Leo and walked up to Meredith, who was once again leaning heavily on Chris.

"You protected Wyatt." She told the young woman. "You and Paige."

She hugged the woman tightly.

"I know there's more that you're not telling us." Piper whispered. "But thank you."

Meredith hesitated a moment before hugging her back.

Finally, Piper pulled away, smiling gently, and turned back to Wyatt. She smiled as he reached out to her and pulled him into her arms.

* * *

Phoebe was sitting in her office that evening after everyone had left, typing on her computer. She looked up as Paige appeared at her door, dressed in a nice black dress.

"Hey." She said. "I just, uh, finished the last of the filing."

"Great." Phoebe said. "Thanks."

"Is that tomorrow's copy?" Paige asked.

"Uh, yeah." Phoebe replied. "I'm just doing some last-minute changes. This woman right here is worried that her mother might be marrying the wrong guy."

"Really?" Paige asked, stepping into the office.

"Yeah." Phoebe said. "She thinks he might be the devil incarnate."

"Didn't we vanquish the devil incarnate?" Paige asked slyly.

Phoebe laughed.

"I told her that unless she has absolute proof, she should probably butt out and let her sister live her own life." She told her sister.

"I thought this was about a mother." Paige said.

"Yeah, well, you know what I mean." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, I think I do." Paige said, smiling softly. "It's funny. This is the first job I've gotten without a reason. I just have to learn to take my own advice."

"Yeah, well, don't stop worrying about me too much." Paige told her.

"Okay." Phoebe replied.

Richard walked through the bullpen to Phoebe's office.

"Hey." He said. "Sorry to interrupt. You ready to go?"

He leaned in and kissed Paige on the cheek.

"Yeah." Paige said.

"Um, we're going out." Richard told Phoebe. "Do you want to join?"

"I'd love to, actually, but, uh, I'm gonna take a rain check." Phoebe told them. "It's been a long day."

"Okay." Paige replied. "Good night."

Paige turned and walked with Richard towards the front door.

"Hey, Paige?" Phoebe called after her. "You're fired."

"Actually, I quit." Paige replied.

Phoebe smiled as her sister left.

* * *

Piper sat in the Attic looking at the sword with Wyatt. Meredith sat beside them.

"Your husband killed your daughter with Excalibur." Piper said softly.

"Yeah." Meredith replied.

"How?" Piper asked.

"I can't answer that." Meredith told her. "Not yet. If it helps, I hope that one day I can."

"I'm sorry about your daughter." Piper told her. "I don't even want to think about how hard that must be. I'm not even sure I could get out of bed."

"I tell myself, what I'm doing here, I'm saving her." Meredith whispered. "And Chris is helping."

"Good." Piper replied.

Meredith got up and walked out.

"Listen," Piper said to Wyatt, "I want you to promise me that before we take that thing out of storage, that you're gonna play lots of football and baseball and have lots of normal toys, and maybe we'll even get a dog. What do you think?"

Leo walked into the attic and settled down next to them.

"How we doing?" he asked.

"Uh, His Highness seemed content." Piper replied.

"What about you?" Leo asked.

"I'm doing all right." She replied. "At least I have my priorities straight now. I was so busy doing stuff, and all I really wanted to do was hang out with him."

"Well, you should have more time for that now." Leo replied.

Piper looked at him.

"I fixed the washer." Leo told her.

"You did?" Piper asked.

"And the sink and the cable and the toilet." Leo continued.

"Wow." Piper said, impressed. "I forgot how handy you were to have around the house."

She smiled at him and he returned it.

"Pretty strange, huh?" Leo asked, looking at Wyatt.

"Kind of scary, actually." Piper replied.

"Why?" Leo asked, laughing.

"Well, we've seen what he can do without the sword." Piper said. "I can't begin to imagine what he could do with it. And, think of how powerful he is. How powerful does Meredith's husband have to be to take it from him?"

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "But whatever is meant to be will be. And we'll deal with the rest."

"Doesn't make it any less scary, though." Piper said. "But that's tomorrow's problem. I'll worry about it then."

Piper stood up and picked up Wyatt, Leo following them to his feet.

"Okey-dokey." Piper said.

The three walked out, leaving the sword gleaming in the corner.

A/N: The Sword and the City is done. Tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	8. Finding the Lost

Disclaimer: If I owned the world, I would own Charmed, and that would make the world a better place, no?

Ch. 8:

Chris orbed into the manor, outside of Meredith's door, before opening the door gently and walking inside.

"Who's there?" Meredith called weakly.

The room was dark and cold and Chris could see something that he assumed was Meredith moving on the bed.

"It's me." He said softly.

"Ugh." Meredith moaned, rolling over. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," he said, sitting on the side of the bed, "I did the math and figured your migraine would hit right about now. It's been about five hours since you used your power."

"The past sucks." Meredith moaned. "Piper hasn't developed my pain reliever yet."

"Which is why I went ahead and made it for you." Chris said.

Meredith turned over and looked at him.

"You look horrible." He told her, seeing her face for the first time.

"If you don't give me that vial, you're going to look horrible." Meredith growled.

He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. She quickly downed it and sighed as it began to work. A second later she disappeared. Chris sighed and orbed away.

* * *

The sisters were in the kitchen and they all jumped when Meredith stepped out of the shadows and went directly to the fridge. A second later, Chris orbed in right next to her.

"Did you really think I would forget the most important part?" he asked, holding a fast food bag in front of her face.

She spun and hugged him tight.

"You are the best friend someone could ask for." She told him.

"Yeah, yeah." He replied, handing the bag over. "Eat your hamburger."

She grabbed the bag and sat down at the table.

"What are you two up to?" Piper asked.

"Mer gets migraines about five hours after she uses her powers." Chris explained as he snagged a fry from her. "I made her the potion that takes the pain away, but I side affect has always been a craving for a burger and fries. We've never been sure if it's the potion, or just Mer."

Meredith slapped his hand away and continued eating.

There was a flash of orbs and Leo arrived in the kitchen.

"Good, you're all here." he said. "I'm just letting you know that I'm reinstating Chris as your whitelighter."

"Ha!" Chris said. "Pay up."

"Bastard." Meredith muttered around the burger in her mouth.

"Ah." Piper rebuked. "No talking while eating."

"Sorry, Aunt Piper." Meredith muttered contritely.

"Aunt Piper?" Phoebe questioned.

"Yeah, I called you all Aunt while I was growing up." Meredith replied, taking a sip of her drink. "Piper was very keen that I never forgot that my parents sacrificed themselves to save me. She said that no one could ever replace them and that she wouldn't try."

"What happened to your parents?" Paige asked.

"We were being hunted by a demon." Meredith replied matter-of-factly. "They set up a trap to vanquish it, but the trap was more powerful than they expected. It vaporized all three."

"You're Kathy and Martin's daughter?" Leo asked.

"Yep, that's me." Meredith replied. "I was born November 23, 2002. So I should be 1 slash 23 next week. At least I think I will be. This whole time travel thing really screws up you time telling abilities."

"How did you wind up with us?" Piper asked.

Chris and Meredith looked at each other. Chris shrugged and Meredith turned back to Piper.

"I was having some difficultly with my foster family." Meredith replied. "There were eight of us and the parents couldn't really handle having a child that could make it rain inside when she got upset. When the Elders found out what was going on, they made sure I made my way to San Fransico."

The sisters exchanged a look as Meredith went back to eating.

"Leo, can I talk to you outside?" Piper asked.

He nodded and they moved out of the kitchen. A second later, Paige and Phoebe followed them.

Chris and Meredith exchanged a look before Meredith shrugged and went back to eating, slapping Chris's hand away as he stole another fry.

* * *

"What's up?" Leo asked as they moved into the sun room.

"When did Meredith's parents die?" Piper asked him.

"About two months before she got here." Leo answered.

"So does that mean she's in the system now?" Paige asked as she and Phoebe joined them.

"I would guess so." Leo replied.

"Where did they live?" Phoebe asked.

"New York." Leo replied warily. "Why?"

"Paige, do you think some of your friends in Social Services might be able to find her?" Piper asked her sister.

"I can ask." Paige replied.

"You can't be serious." Leo said. "You're not thinking of trying to adopt her or something, are you?"

"Why shouldn't we?" Phoebe asked. "She's told us we adopt her, so why can't we save her from having to go through any of that at all?"

"Paige, find out what you can." Piper told her.

"I'll go make some calls." She replied, walking off.

"Piper, do you really want another toddler in the house?" Leo asked.

"I like Meredith." Piper told him. "And I trust her. And I think there's more to what went on with her foster family than she said. I don't want to leave her there."

"Plus, it's not like Piper's doing this alone." Phoebe added. "She has Paige and me. Besides, wouldn't the Elders prefer that a child as powerful as Meredith was protected and not left to the mercies of the foster care system."

"Fine." Leo relented. "But I'm going to tell them what's going on and see what the others think."

"You do that." Piper told him. "In the mean time, no one tells Meredith what's going on."

"Alright." Phoebe agreed. "I'll let Paige know."

She left Leo and Piper alone.

"Piper, do you really think this is wise?" Leo asked.

"Yes." Piper replied.

"We don't even know everything about them, Piper." Leo told her. "How do you know any part of their story is true?"

"I don't." Piper admitted. "But I'm not leaving a magical child somewhere where someone might punish her for her gifts. Not if I can prevent it."

"Hey, Leo." Paige called as she walked in to the room, the phone in her hand. "What were Meredith's parents name's again?"

"Kathy and Martin St. James." Leo answered.

"You heard that?" Paige asked into the phone. "Thanks. Get back to me as soon as you can." She got off and walked over to them. "I have a couple of friends who are going to try to find her. I told them they were friends of family friends and that when we heard about what happened, we thought we'd try to find their daughter, see what we could do for her."

"Good." Piper said. "Phoebe tell you to not tell Meredith?"

"Yeah." Paige said.

"Let me know what you find out." Piper told her.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Leo said, orbing away.

"Me too." Piper said after he was gone.

* * *

"I've gotta go." Chris was saying as Piper and Phoebe entered the kitchen again. "I got a new lead on a demon I want to track down."

"You want me to go with you?" Meredith asked.

"Please, you're no good to me for at least another two hours." Chris told her. "I'll be fine." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Get some rest." He stepped away. "You still owe me five bucks."

He orbed away as she glared at him.

"Jerk." She muttered.

"He's such a work-a-holoic." Phoebe said.

Meredith laughed.

"He always has been." She said.

She picked up her trash and threw it away.

"For once I'm gonna take his advice." She told them. "I'll see you all in the morning."

* * *

The days past and there was little to no news. After four days, Leo came back.

"The Elders have decided that if you can get her, you should keep her." He told them. "She's one of the most magical children out there, she needs to be raised in good."

"Yeah, well we're having trouble locating her." Piper replied. "The New York care system isn't cooperating."

"You want me to see what I can find out?" Leo asked.

"Would you?" Piper asked.

"I'll see what I can do." Leo replied, orbing away.

"I'm out of here!" Phoebe called.

"Where are you going?" Piper asked.

"I have a date with Jason." Phoebe replied.

"Okay." Piper said as Phoebe walked away. "Have fun!"

"Will do!" Phoebe replied, shutting the door behind her.

An hour later, Chris appeared.

"I found the demon." He said. "Are you guys ready?"

"Well, Paige is upstairs, Meredith's in the kitchen, and Phoebe's on a date." Piper reported. "If that's what you want to call ready, then sure, we're ready."

"Can you please get your sisters?" Chris begged. "I'll get Meredith."

Without waiting for an answer, he walked out.

"Sure, why not?" Piper grumbled.

* * *

Chris walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, I got a hit on the demon." He told Meredith. "You coming?"

"Something weird is going on here." Meredith said, ignoring him as she shut the refrigerator.

"I'm sorry." He replied. "Demon? Vanquish? You gonna help?"

"Paige is always on the phone with people in New York." Meredith continued. "Phoebe keeps smiling at me, and I swear I saw Piper looking at toddler's clothes."

"She has a toddler, remember?" Chris asked. "Now can we please go vanquish the demon?"

"Girl's clothing." Meredith replied. "And unless there's something you haven't told me, Piper doesn't need to buy girls clothing."

"MEREDITH!" Chris shouted.

"WHAT?" she shouted back.

"Can we please go vanquish the demon?" Chris pleaded.

"Geez, Chris." Meredith said, moving to the door. "All you had to do was ask."

Chris stared after her.

"This whole family is nuts." He complained before leaving.

A/N: Just a little filler until Little Monsters. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	9. Little Monsters 1

Disclaimer: If I had one wish, well I'd wish for a billion dollars, but then I'd use the money to buy Charmed. And an Aston Martin, but that's beside the point.

Ch. 9:

The waiter stood in front of the table with a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, Phoebe and Jason didn't notice, being too involved with each other to notice anything. After a moment, they finally broke apart when he cleared his throat.

"Pardon me." He said.

"Hi!" Phoebe said, embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Oh, no, no, please, never apologize for a kiss, signora." The man told her. "Especially for one like that." He held out the bottle for them to see. "'95 brunello di montalcino."

"Great." Jason said, chuckling. "Decant it, please?"

"Of course." The man replied.

"Oh, wow." Phoebe said as the man walked away. "Was that embarrassing."

"You heard what the man said." Jason told her. "Never apologize."

"I'm so happy for you." Phoebe told him.

"I still can't believe it." He replied. "Phoebe, I've wanted to buy my granddad's winery ever since he lost it. I just hope he knows that somehow."

"Believe me, he does." Phoebe told him seriously.

"You talk as if you have inside information." He said.

"Well, maybe I do." Phoebe said, smiling softly.

"You are special, Phoebe." Jason told her.

Phoebe reached out and touched his cheek and felt her power rushed over.

"I love you, too." She told him.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Phoebe froze and Jason stared at her.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

Phoebe quickly pulled back.

"Who said that?" she asked.

""Did you say, 'too'?" Jason asked.

"No." Phoebe said, laughing nervously. "I just said 'you' twice. I said 'I love you, you'. Isn't that…What I said? Oh, god." She turned and knocked over a glass of water. "Ooh!"

"Daniel, Table 3." The Head Waiter called.

A waiter came over to clean up the mess and behind a nearby curtain, Paige orbed in.

"Ah!" Phoebe said nervously. "It's so-"

"That's okay." The waiter told her. "I'll take care of it."

"Oh, thanks." Phoebe told him. "Thanks. It's weird-"

"Hi!" Paige interrupted.

"Paige!" Phoebe said, relief ringing in her voice.

"I'm so sorry interrupt," Paige told them, "but Piper's kind of got a bit of a, um…a power problem. She kinda needs some more."

"Why doesn't she just call the power company?" Jason asked.

"Tried, and…the line is busy." Paige told him. "Right now, Meredith's with her, but she would really love it if we could come, like, right now."

"Oh!" Phoebe said, reacting to the l-word. "Oh, please don't use that word. Please don't use that word."

Phoebe quickly got to her feet, wincing.

"Okay." She said. "All right. So, I should go, and we will, you know-"

"Talk." Jason finished.

"Talk!" she agreed, backing away. "Yeah!"

She continued to back up until she ran into a waiter carrying a tray of food, which he dropped. Jason promptly covered his face with his hand.

"Oh!" Phoebe said, finally turning around. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Sorry! Okay…"

"Okay." Paige said, quickly leading Phoebe out before she could do something else.

"Ooh!" Phoebe said, looking at the spilled food. "The stuffed shells. Great choice. Okay." She waved. "Bye, everyone."

They quickly walked out, leaving Jason alone.

* * *

Piper and Meredith stood in an alleyway, watching a demon get ripped apart from behind a corner. Piper cringed at the screams, while Meredith looked at the demon in interest.

"I think I vanquished him." She said.

Piper stared at her.

"In the future." Meredith elaborated. "I think he was one of my husband's minions that annoyed me. Just how much has Chris changed?"

"You're changing things, too, now." Piper pointed out.

"Yeah, but he did it first." Meredith said. "That makes it his fault. And that's what I'm sticking to."

Paige and Phoebe orbed in behind them.

"Okay, let's vanquish this demon." Paige said loudly.

"Shh!" Piper and Meredith said at the same moment.

"What?" Phoebe whispered.

"Something beat us to the punch." Piper told her.

"Chris is going to be disappointed." Meredith added.

Paige and Phoebe walked forward and watched as a creature crouched above the demon, ripping flesh off with its teeth.

"Eew." Phoebe said. "What is it doing?"

"Apparently eating the demon." Piper said.

As they watched, the creature stuck its hand into the demon's chest and took something out and put it in a pouch.

"Or storing it." Paige said.

"Okay, I'm officially grossed out." Meredith complained.

The demon turned to dust and disappeared and the creature stood up.

"What is it?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know." Piper said. "And I don't wanna find out. Let's get outta here."

Piper and Meredith stood up and Meredith knocked over a pipe making the creature look right at them.

"Oops." She said, wincing.

The creature hissed and flicked a forked tongue in their direction. Then it sped towards them, knocking them off their feet.

Paige and Phoebe flew backward into the far wall and fell to the ground. Meredith and Piper remained where they were, and Piper blasted the creature.

It had no affect and Piper and Meredith yelped in surprise. Piper continued to blast it as they backed up.

"Paige, do something!" Phoebe yelled.

Before Paige could do anything, Meredith took a deep breath and a bolt of electricity flew from her hand and hit the creature in the chest. She kept the current going until the creature burst into fire and disappeared.

Phoebe and Paige got to their feet as Meredith staggered and fell to her knees.

"Meredith." Piper said, dropping next to the young woman as Phoebe and Paige ran to them.

"I'm alright." Meredith told her. "I'm just not very good at one on one. I'm more the person you call when you need a horde taken out. Hordes I can do. Hordes are easy."

Piper chuckled and she and her sisters help Meredith up. Then they were distracted by a noise coming from a sack the creature had left behind.

The four cautiously approached it and Piper kneeled down and pulled the cloth back to reveal a baby. As they looked at it, the baby smiled and cooed before flicking a forked tongue at them. Piper flinched away, Phoebe's eyes widened, and Paige and Meredith stared at the baby.

"Cute." Paige said.

"Oh, Chris is going to kill me." Meredith moaned.

* * *

Paige and Phoebe stood looking down at the baby in the playpen.

"I still can't believe we vanquished his mommy." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, but we didn't know it was a mommy," Paige protested, "and besides, mommy tried to kill us."

"I know." Phoebe said. "Still, look at how cute he is. So adorable. Oh, except when he does that weird little thing with his tongue."

"I wonder why he looks so human." Paige asked.

"I don't know." Phoebe replied. "But he won't for long."

Piper came down the stairs and joined them, holding a baby monitor in her hand.

"Okay, Wyatt's upstairs, so at least he's…" she started, but then Wyatt orbed into the playpen, "…safe."

"I didn't even need future knowledge to know that was going to happen." Meredith called from where she was laying on the couch, her eyes closed.

"Don't worry about Wyatt." Phoebe said. "He's got his protective bubble. He'll use it if he needs it."

"Plus, it looks like he likes his new friend." Paige said.

"That is not a friend." Piper protested. "That's a demon."

"No, he's just a baby!" Paige disagreed.

"'Scuse me." Piper said. "Were you at the same vanquish as me? Because it took all four of us to stop it's mother."

"Excuse me?" Meredith called, cracking her eye open.

"We helped." Phoebe told her.

"My migraine says I destroyed the damn thing." Meredith groused.

"Whatever." Paige interrupted. "It doesn't mean he's gonna turn out that way."

"Paige, he doesn't have a choice." Phoebe told her. "It's genetic."

"No, I don't think so." Paige protested. "Okay, maybe I'm a little biased because I am, in fact, adopted, but I really think there's something to the whole nurture versus nature thing and predicting how a kid is gonna turn out, you know, the classic environment versus biology argument."

"But this is not a child." Piper told her. "It's a demon."

"Okay." Paige said. "Why don't you go over there and see if you can sense anything evil."

Phoebe glanced at the playpen.

"All right." She said, walking over to a seat near the baby and sitting down.

She tried to get a read and finally shrugged.

"Nothing…" she said. "Good or evil."

"My point exactly!" Paige said. "Clay to be molded."

"Yeah, I don't know about that." Piper said.

"Still, the question remains, what are we supposed to do with him?" Phoebe asked.

Chris chose this moment to orb in, his back to the playpen.

"So, you vanquished the demon?" he asked.

"Yes…and no." Piper replied.

Chris raised his eyebrow at her answer.

"Well, the good news is the demon you sent us after is, in fact, uh…gone." Paige told him.

"And the bad news is, whatever ate it…left us that." Phoebe added.

She pointed to the playpen and Chris turned to see the baby, who flicked it's tongue at him.

"I think he likes you." Paige said.

"I don't care." Chris replied. "Vanquish it."

"Chris!" Meredith rebuked, sitting up.

"And you." He said, rounding on her. "How could you let them bring it back here?"

"Because it's a baby!" Meredith replied angrily. "I'm not vanquishing a child!"

"This could be it." He told her. "This could be what gets to Wyatt."

"It's a baby!" Meredith shot back.

"Don't be ridiculous." Paige told him.

"What?" Chris demanded. "I'm being ridiculous? There's a demon in the playpen."

Meredith glared at him and went and picked the baby up, rocking him gently.

"Oh, great." Chris said sarcastically. "Now we're cuddling it."

"You know what, Chris?" Meredith said. "Why don't you go f-"

The phone rang, interrupting what Meredith was going to say, so she and Chris just glared at each other.

"I'll get it." Paige said, walking between them.

"Hey, if it's Jason, tell him I'm in the shower." Phoebe called after her.

"Are you avoiding him?" Piper asked as she sat down across from her.

"Uh…kind of." Phoebe replied. "I, um…sort of told him that I loved him last night."

"Oh." Piper replied. "And this is bad?"

"No." Phoebe answered. "Except I said, 'I love you, too', as if he said, 'I love you' first, which he didn't."

"So, wait…" Meredith said, setting the baby back down. "You told him that he loves you before he told you that he loves you?"

"Mm-hmm." Phoebe replied. "Mm-hmm."

"Yeah, that's not good." Piper replied.

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "I'll be lucky if he doesn't move to Hong Kong permanently now. I really thought I had my empath power under control.

"Forget that." Chris said. "What are you gonna do?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Phoebe replied. "I mean, you tell a guy that you love them, and they bolt. It's just what they do."

"He wasn't talking about Jason." Meredith sighed. "Killjoy was talking about the baby."

"Of course I was talking about the baby!" Chris said. "We gotta do something."

The baby cooed and they all looked at it. They watched as he flicked his tongue out and reached across the playpen to pick up a pacifier with it, before bringing it back to his mouth.

"Fast." Chris added.

A/N: So Little Monsters has begun. Who thinks Chris and Meredith are going to scream at each other during this episode at sometime? Me too. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	10. Little Monsters 2

Disclaimer: I can't begin to explain how much I want Charmed. Mainly because my therapist says it isn't good to dwell.

Ch. 10:

"Darryl." Paige said, talking into the phone. "Speak up."

"I know I never asked before, but I'm asking now." Darryl said. "I need help on this one. Magical help."

"All right." Paige said. "What's going on?"

"This stupid kid, I-I mean, he's got hostages." Darryl told her. "Only I know him-he wouldn't hurt anybody-but I'm running out of time to talk him down. SWAT's ready to move in. I don't want to lose him, Paige."

"Alright." Paige said, her voice gaining enthusiasm. "Alright! I'm coming. Okay. Hold your horses."

Paige hung up and grabbed the car keys before heading back into the house.

* * *

Piper and Phoebe knelt next to the playpen, trying to distract Wyatt from his new friend.

"Where's Wyatt?" Piper said, covering her eyes. "Where is he? Look, look, wait. Listen. Where's Wyatt?" She removed her hands and looked at him. "There he is! Look! Look!" She covered her eyes again. "Where's Wyatt? Where's Wyatt?" She moved her hands again. "There he is!"

Wyatt ignored her.

"Alright." Piper said, giving up.

"I don't think distracting him is the answer." Chris said.

"Oh, and vanquishing his friend is." Meredith said sarcastically.

"I thought you were supposed to be on my side in all this." Chris said.

"I will be on your side." Meredith told him. "When your plans don't involve vanquishing babies!"

Chris threw up his hands and turned away.

"Wyatt, bad demon." Piper told her son. "Very bad demon."

Paige walked back in to join them.

"Hey, was that Jason?" Phoebe asked.

"No." Paige replied. "That was my raison d'être."

"Pardon?" Phoebe asked.

"That was Darryl." Paige told them. "I've been wondering why the temp agency hasn't called, and now I know why. I needed to be free to help him."

"To do what?" Piper asked.

"Well, to save an innocent." Paige replied. "Why else would he have called? And, more importantly, why else would I have been the one to answer the phone?"

"'Cause you were closest to it?" Phoebe suggested.

"No." Paige replied. "Because it's my reason for being. Call me if you need help."

She turned and left, and Chris stared after her.

"What?" he demanded. "You're just gonna let her go?"

"You're welcome to try and stop her." Piper told him.

"I should go talk to Jason." Phoebe said, standing up.

"And her, too." Piper added.

"Wait." Chris said. "Stop. Where are you going? Are you slightly concerned that there's a demon in the house?"

"Chris, this is a baby, okay?" Phoebe told him. "Relax." She turned back to Piper. "You call if you need anything."

"Love you, too." Piper told her.

"Don't." Phoebe said, shuddering.

"Sorry." Piper replied, grinning.

"And you're okay with this?" Chris asked her as Phoebe left. "Them, dumping this on your lap?"

"Well, they don't seem too worried." Piper replied.

Chris looked down at the playpen.

"Well, they should be." Chris said. "I need to figure out what kind of creature we're dealing with here."

He left the room and Meredith sighed.

"Has he always been like this?" Piper asked.

"No." Meredith replied. "The last seven years have made him hard. I was just hoping it wasn't permanent."

"And now you think it is?" Piper asked.

"I don't know." Meredith said. "I really hope not. The Chris I knew was kind and gentle. He was funny and sarcastic, and he never would've even thought of harming a baby, no matter what it might grow up to be."

"What happened?" Piper asked.

"He lost a war." Meredith replied. "He lost everything."

She sighed again and walked out, following Chris up the stairs.

Piper watched her go before looking back at the playpen.

* * *

Phoebe walked into the bullpen and headed for Jason's office.

"Hey, is he in?" she asked as she past his assistant.

"No." the man replied, getting up quickly. "I mean, yes, he is, but he asked not to be disturbed."

"Yeah, but that can't possibly mean me." Phoebe replied, turning back to look at him.

"Actually, it specifically means you, Phoebe." The man told her. "Sorry. You guys have a fight?"

"No." Phoebe replied. "But we're about to."

She threw her bag at him and angrily marched into Jason's office.

"Listen, Jas-oh." She said.

She looked around and saw that Jason was in a meeting with a lot of other people.

"Oh…" Phoebe said. "I'm sorry."

"Phoebe, what are you doing?" Jason demanded.

"I didn't know you were in the middle of a meeting." She told him.

"Yeah." He replied. "That's why the door was closed."

"Really?" Phoebe said, getting back her anger. "Because I was told the door was closed specifically for me."

"Vogliate scusarmi." Jason said, turning back to the other people. "Torno subito."

"I didn't know you spoke Italian." Phoebe said as he got up.

"Outside." He said, pointing.

He quickly moved her outside and away from the door.

"How come I didn't know you speak Italian?" Phoebe asked.

"Is that what you came here to ask?" he asked her.

"No." she replied. "No, of course not. I just wanted to talk about last night."

"Okay, fine, but can we do it later?" he asked. "I'm in the middle of a very important meeting right now."

"Of course." She told him. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that." She sighed. "So how about tonight?"

"Tonight." He said. "Tonight's not good. I'm flying to Rome."

Phoebe laughed with disbelief.

"Wait." She said. "What?"

"I was meaning to tell you." Jason told her. "It just came up."

"Really?" Phoebe demanded. "When? Right after I told you I loved you?"

"Aw, come on!" Jason protested.

"I've heard of guys running when they hear the 'L' word, but running all the way to Italy?" she seethed. "That's gotta be some kind of new record!"

"Would you keep your voice down, please?" Jason asked. "It's got nothing to do with that, and you know it."

"That's a crock." Phoebe told him. "We both know how you really feel about me. The only difference is I'm the only one who's not afraid of it. Ciao!"

She quickly walked away, leaving Jason standing there.

* * *

"Chris?" Meredith called as she walked in.

"What?" he asked harshly, not looking up from the book.

"Chris, you can't vanquish a baby." She told him, sighing.

"It's not a baby." He said. "It's a demon."

"So that makes it automatically evil?" she demanded.

"What part of 'demon' are you not understanding?" he asked.

"What part of 'baby' aren't you understanding?" she shot back. "I won't stand by and let another child die!"

"You think I want it to happen?" He yelled at her. "I lost her too!"

They stood there, both breathing heavily.

"I'm not saying it's the best option." He told her softly. "But he's not Jenny. He's a demon, Mer. This is what we're supposed to be doing. Vanquishing threats, protecting Wyatt."

"I won't do it, Chris." Meredith whispered. "And I don't think the sisters will either. I'm sorry, Chris. I can't kill a baby. Not after losing ours."

"It's not human." Chris told her. "It's a demon."

"Am I interrupting?" Piper asked from the door.

Chris and Meredith quickly moved away from each other.

"No." Chris replied. "I found out what he is. Where's Wyatt?"

"Downstairs." Piper replied.

"You left him with the demon?" Chris demanded.

"I've got the monitor." Piper said, holding up the device. "I heard shouting, and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"It's fine." Meredith replied.

"Yeah." Chris agreed, running his hand through his hair. "Let's go downstairs and I can tell you what I found."

* * *

"Vicious demons with supernatural strength and venomous claws," Chris read from the book as they sat in the conservatory, "Manticores communicate with high-pitched cries and tend to travel in packs." He nodded. "Great. I say we get rid of the little brat before the pack comes looking for him."

"Okay, fine." Piper replied. "What do you suggest we do with him, call social services?"

"No, I suggest you vanquish it." Chris replied.

"Chris, I'm a mother." Piper told him. "I can't go around vanquishing babies, no matter how evil they are."

"Told you so!" Meredith called from where she was kneeling in front of the playpen.

"It's not how evil he is." Chris told them. "It's how evil he's gonna be. You gotta stop looking at him like he's a little baby and start looking at him like he's an unstoppable killing machine, because that's what he is."

"I realize that, but still-" Piper said.

"But still nothing." Chris replied. "You're supposed to protect the innocents, right? Think of all the future innocents you can save by vanquishing him right now."

"Okay, that's it." Meredith said, getting up.

She walked over to Chris and brought him towards the playpen.

"What do you see?" She asked. "Not what do you know, or what is he. What does he look like to you? And for the record, ignore the tongue."

"A demon." Chris replied without hesitation.

"Then you're even more damaged than I thought." Meredith told him. "Cause that is a baby. Except for the tongue thing, if I put him next to other _human_ children, no one would know the difference. So you're telling me, you could look at him and throw the potion that would kill him?"

"Yes." Chris replied, but Meredith could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"Look," Piper said. "I understand what you're saying, and I'm scared to death of what he could possibly do to Wyatt, but I can't even separate them!"

"Piper, there's one thing you can do, and you know it." Chris told her. "And you'd better do it fast before any other Manticores show up. There's no known vanquishing potion."

"I just… can't do it." Piper told him.

"Okay." Chris said. "Well, if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to Leo."

He orbed out and Meredith sighed again.

Piper turned back to the playpen. Inside, Wyatt and the baby were playing their own form of peek-a-boo. When Wyatt covered his eyes, the baby would shimmer away, and when Wyatt uncovered his eyes, the baby would shimmer back.

"Should we be worried about where he's shimmering to?" Meredith asked, watching them with guarded amusement.

"I don't even want to think about it." Piper replied, also watching them with amusement.

Wyatt covered his eyes again, and the baby shimmered. When Wyatt uncovered his eyes, the baby shimmered back with a squeal of delight.

"Probably wise." Meredith said.

"I thought so." Piper agreed.

Wyatt looked at Piper and Meredith and neither woman said anything.

* * *

Outside a bank, the police barricade was set up and a van carrying the SWAT team arrived as Paige arrived.

"We're in position, Lieutenant." The SWAT Leader called through a radio to Darryl. "We've got a clean shot."

Darryl glanced at his watch before looking around.

"Darryl!" Paige called. "Darryl! Over here!"

"Stand by." Darryl said into the radio before turning to Paige. "It's okay, let her through. What took you so long?"

"I would have orbed here, but that could have been more magic than you had in mind." Paige told him.

"I'm not sure what you could have done anyway." Darryl said. "He's not letting any of the hostages go, and SWAT's ready to move in."

"Forget that." Paige replied. "I'm not giving up. This is my raison d'être."

"Excuse me?" Darryl asked.

"Listen, I came to help." Paige said. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do, so what do you need?"

"I don't know." Darryl admitted. "If I could just talk to the kid…without getting shot."

"I think I have the perfect spell for this." Paige told him.

"Whoa, whoa." He replied immediately. "Spell? What spell?"

"Just go with me, okay?" Paige told him.

"Blessed with powers from my destiny,  
I bless this hero with invincibility."

Paige held her hand up and power leapt from her to Darryl, causing him to stagger back from the impact.

"How do you feel?" Paige asked as he took a deep breath.

"It feels…it feels good." He told her.

"All right." She replied. "Go get him, tough guy."

"Yeah!" Darryl said confidently.

He turned around and walked straight towards the post office.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing?" the SWAT leader demanded as Darryl took out his gun and badge, handing them to another officer.

"Hold your fire!" another officer ordered.

Darryl walked right up to the door and the boy inside pointed his gun at him.

"Hey, turn around!" the kid yelled. "Get outta here! I swear to god, man, I'll shoot! I'll shoot you, man! I swear to god I'll do it!"

"Put your gun down, son." Darryl called to him. "I just wanna talk."

The kid fired and the glass of the door shattered, but when the bullets hit Darryl, they bounced off like they were nothing. From the side, Paige watched, pleased.

Darryl looked down at the bullets at his feet and laughed. The kid stared at him, his eyes wide.

"That's okay." Darryl called to the officers. "Hold your fire. I'm goin' in."

Satisfied, Paige turned and left.

* * *

On top of the highest tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, Leo stood with his arms held out, his face to the sky, and his eyes closed. He didn't even move when Chris orbed in.

"Leo, I have been looking everywhere for you." He told the Elder, looking around. "What are you doing up here?"

"Communing with the others." Leo replied.

Chris looked down at the bridge.

"Can anyone see us?" he asked.

"Not me…" Leo said, smiling to himself. "But you look like a lunatic, standing up here talking to yourself. What do you want?"

"It's about Piper." Chris told him.

"Is she all right?" Leo asked, finally looking at Chris in alarm.

"Yes, she's fine." Chris assured him. "Don't worry. It's Wyatt I'm worried about."

"Why, what happened?" Leo asked, worry in his voice.

"Nothing yet." Chris replied. "Just out of curiosity, what's the Elder's policy on vanquishing demon babies?"

"Why?" Leo asked warily.

"No reason." Chris answered. "There's just one playing with Wyatt in his playpen as we speak."

A/N: So, did Piper hear Meredith refer to Jenny as 'ours'? Or Chris say that he lost her too? Find out next time on: Together Charmed.

I'm still not crazy about that name. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	11. Little Monsters 3

Disclaimer: I wish.

Ch. 11:

Piper walked into the attic, carrying Wyatt and set him down in his playpen.

"Okay, listen to me." She told him. "You will not orb down to your little friend. Do you understand me? No orbing."

A second later, Phoebe walked in, clearly annoyed.

"Where's Meredith?" she asked.

"She trying to distract the baby down-" Piper started when Meredith shimmered in with the baby.

She spun in place, trying to figure out what had just happened, before looking down at the baby.

"That's cheating." She told him strictly.

"Oh, I give up." Piper said, sighing.

Meredith set the baby down in the playpen and sat down with her own sigh.

"Can I complain now?" Phoebe asked.

"Go right ahead." Piper replied.

"I have had it with men." Phoebe told them, launching into rant mode. "They are incorrigible."

"Well, let me tell you, little boys are not much better." Piper told her.

"I could understand running if he didn't love me back, you know?" Phoebe continued. "Fight or flight. It's the nature of the beast."

"Speaking of that-" Piper tried to tell her sister, but Phoebe just kept going.

"But he does love me." Phoebe complained. "I know. I felt it, you know? So what's the big deal? Why is he running?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you probably won't be alive long enough to worry about it much." Meredith interjected.

"Thank you, yes." Phoebe replied. "That makes me feel so much better."

"We're just saying, if this doesn't work, we may not be able to vanquish the Manticores when they come to pick up their little one." Piper told her.

"Oh, you figured out what they are?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Meredith replied. "And it's so not good."

"So maybe Chris was right." Phoebe said.

"Oh, please don't say that where he can hear it." Meredith begged.

"Besides, I just can't." Piper said.

"And I won't." Meredith added.

"Piper, you said yourself." Phoebe said. "He was born evil."

"I know and I still believe that." Piper told her. "I do. But something just doesn't add up about him. Why isn't Wyatt using his protective shield? Why doesn't Wyatt think he's evil?"

"Well, we gotta keep Wyatt away from him." Phoebe said.

She headed to the playpen and picked Wyatt up.

"Phoebe, wait-" Piper said.

"No, don't-" Meredith said at the same moment, but it was too late.

The baby started to cry.

"You stay away from my nephew, okay?" Phoebe told him. "And don't shimmer after him either, or I'll bind your powers."

Suddenly, the baby's cry turned into an unnatural high-pitched wail.

"Phoebe, hurry!" Piper said. "Put him back down."

"What?" Phoebe asked. "Okay…"

She put Wyatt down and turned around to look at Piper and Meredith.

"Why?" she demanded.

A beast-like creature shimmered in behind Phoebe.

"That's why." Meredith replied.

He backhanded Phoebe and she went flying, straight into Piper and Meredith. The Beast then tried to reach into the playpen, but Wyatt's shield went around him and the baby, and the Beast couldn't get through.

Piper finally got to her feet and blasted the Beast.

"Hey!" she yelled. "You get away from my kid!"

She continued to blast the Beast over and over again, and Meredith got to her knees and sent a bolt of electricity at him. Finally, the Beast shimmered away.

Before they could react, the Beast appeared behind Piper. He wrapped his arms around her and shimmered away, with her.

Phoebe and Meredith were both left, staring at the place where Piper had been.

* * *

Paige walked into the attic, carrying an ice pack, and handed it to Phoebe, who sat scrying for Piper. She took it from Paige and put it on her neck.

Meredith sat a little ways away, the baby in her arms, with her eyes closed. She was singing under her breath and Wyatt was watching her.

"I feel really bad that I wasn't there to help you earlier." Paige told them.

"Oh, I don't think you could've helped even if you were there." Phoebe told her. "Thanks. That think was just as powerful as the Manticore."

"Are you sure it wasn't a Manticore?" Paige asked.

"No, it wasn't a Manticore." Meredith said. "It was more…beast-like."

"What do you think it wanted with the baby?" Paige asked.

"I don't know." Phoebe said as Meredith shrugged. "But I think it's really weird that it showed up right after the baby started crying. You know, as if it could hear him."

"Maybe we can get the baby to cry again and lure The Beast here, and torture him into coughing up Piper." Paige suggested.

"It's a great idea, but we don't have a potion yet." Phoebe said, frustrated. "I can't find Piper anywhere."

"Okay, let me get started on the potion." Paige said, turning to the potions table. "The good news is if he wanted to kill Piper by now, he probably would have. And undoubtedly he's holding her hostage somewhere, probably magically cloaked. And I think he's gonna use her as leverage to get that baby, just you watch."

"Since when did you become an expert on hostage situations?" Phoebe asked.

"About an hour ago." Paige replied.

There was a flash of orbs and Chris and Leo arrived.

"Hey." Chris said.

"Shh, shh." Paige said. "Keep it down. Don't wake the baby. Trust me."

"Where's Piper?" Chris whispered.

"That's a really good question." Phoebe replied.

"Wait, she's missing?" Leo demanded.

"Did the Manticores take her?" Chris asked.

"No, some other creature that wanted the baby." Phoebe replied.

"Damn it, you should have listened to me." Chris burst out. "You should have vanquished him when you had the chance. Instead, Piper's gone and Meredith is cuddling with him. Again."

"Bite me, Christopher." Meredith called.

"Well, it's good that we didn't, because we're gonna need the baby to get Piper back." Paige said. "And, also, Meredith's the only one who can hold him without him screaming bloody murder. We're trying to keep him away from Wyatt!"

"You know what makes it easier to keep him quite?" Meredith asked. "Everyone else being quiet. So can we please use our inside voices?"

"I am not convinced that this baby is inherently evil, which means he's probably not even responsible for any of this." Paige said.

"Oh, come on!" Chris exclaimed.

"Inside voices!" Meredith hissed.

"Will you please talk to them?" Chris begged Leo, albeit at a lower volume.

"Not everyone is born morally neutral, especially not demons." Leo said. "They're predisposed to evil."

"Predisposed, yeah, but it doesn't mean they can't be raised to overcome it." Paige shot back. "You can't predict whether a kid is gonna be good or evil based on his genetics."

"Paige, we're not talking about kids." Chris told her. "We're talking about demons."

"No, we are talking about a demon kid who so far has played nothing but nice with Wyatt." Paige replied.

"Okay, that's it." Meredith said, getting up. "You people are incapable of being quiet. If anyone wants me, the _baby_ and I will be in my room."

She walked out and Chris sighed.

"Okay, you guys, this is all irrelevant." Phoebe said. "We need the baby to find Piper, so let's just focus on that, shall we?"

"She's right." Leo said. "Although I think I should take Wyatt just to be on the safe side."

"That should be fine as long as Meredith stays with the baby." Phoebe replied. "He seems to like her best."

"I wonder why." Leo said suspiciously.

"Because Manticores are connected to the Earth." Chris said crossly. "And Mer is a direct conduit to the Earth's power, so it trusts her."

Leo shrugged and went over to Wyatt and orbed him out.

Chris sighed and walked out, leaving Paige and Phoebe alone.

"Let's get started on that potion." Phoebe told her sister.

* * *

Chris walked to Meredith's room and opened the door quietly. Meredith was sitting with her back to the door, rocking the baby and singing quietly to it.

"_Show me a smile then  
Don't be unhappy, can't remember  
When I last saw you laughing  
If this world makes you crazy  
And you've taken all you can bear  
You call me up  
Because you know I'll be there_

_And I'll see your true colors  
Shinning through  
I see your true colors  
And that's why I love you  
So don't be afraid to let them show  
Your true colors  
True colors are beautiful  
Like a rainbow."_

"You used to sing that when we were kids." Chris said softly.

"Yeah." Meredith said. "I used to sing it to Jenny, too."

She turned and looked at him and he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Chris." She said. "I want to back you up so bad it hurts, but I can't. There's something about him. He's not what you think."

"You can't know that." Chris told her.

"I can feel it, Chris." She told him, turning back to the sleeping baby. "There's something we're missing. Piper knew it too. I don't know what it is, but until I do, I'm not going to let anything happen to him. I won't fail him."

"He's not who you're afraid of failing." Chris told her, sitting next to her. "And you didn't fail Jenny. You did the best you could."

"I'm not going to let him die." Meredith said stubbornly. "Not if I can help it."

"Alright." Chris back down.

He looked at her for a second before orbing away. After he was gone, Meredith looked down at the baby.

"It's alright." She said, rocking him. "Everything's going to be alright."

* * *

Piper sat on the floor of a rundown house, her hands tied behind her. As she worked on getting her hands free, something moved outside the door.

"Hello?" she called. "Who's there?"

"I want the child." A voice called.

"Who are you?" Piper called.

"I want the child!" the voice repeated.

"Yeah." Piper replied. "I heard you the first time."

The thing moved into the room and hid behind a bookshelf.

"Look, if you're trying to scare me, it's not gonna work 'cause I've seen worse." Piper told him. "Really."

"I doubt it." The voice replied. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't do as I ask."

"Who are you kidding?" Piper asked. "You need me, otherwise I'd be dead already."

The Beast stepped out into the open and Piper flinched.

"Don't mock me!" he yelled.

"Okay, easy, easy." Piper said. "Sorry."

The Beast stepped behind a lampshade.

"You're not a Manticore, are you?" Piper asked. "So why do you want the kid anyway?"

"That's not your concern." The Beast replied.

"Well, it is if you want my help." Piper told him. "I'm not just gonna serve him up to you as a snack."

"That's not why I want him." The Beast replied. "How'd you get him away from his mother anyway?"

"We vanquished her." Piper replied.

"You have no idea what you've done." The Beast told her.

"We got a baby away from a demon, and I'm not gonna give him up to another one." Piper said.

"Then you'll die!" The Beast threatened.

"The hell I will." Piper shot back.

She blasted through the ropes, freeing herself, before blasting the Beast. She missed, but she hit the wall behind him, giving her enough cover to get away. She ran from the room and headed for the front door. When she reached for it, a protective shield zapped her back into the house. She got back on her feet and ran to a nearby bedroom where she hid.

* * *

At the post office, the standoff was still going on while the officers waited for a sign from Darryl.

"Any sign of the lieutenant?" the SWAT Commander called.

"Negative." Came the reply over the radio.

"All right, we'll give him five more minutes to talk him out, then we'll-" The Commander was interrupt by the sound of the gunfire.

"Hold your fire." The Commander ordered. "Hold your fire."

The front door opened and the hostages came running out.

"Don't shoot!" someone shouted. "They're hostages!"

"Where's the lieutenant?" someone else called.

"I don't see the lieutenant!"

All eyes and guns were trained on the front door.

Finally, Darryl appeared, leading the kid in handcuffs.

"No sweat!" he called. "I got it! This lieutenant's on the job, kicking butt, taking names, yeah, that's right! That's me! I got it! No sweat!"

He led the kid across the parking lot to congratulations from the other officers.

"How'd you do it, man?" the kid asked. "How did those bullets bounce right off of your chest like that?"

Darryl went to open the door of a squad car and the door flew off it's hinges.

"'Cause I'm a bad-ass, that's why, punk." Darryl replied.

The kid stared as Darryl tossed the door to the side.

"What the hell was that?" the kid demanded, starting to freak out.

"Shut up." Darryl told him nervously.

He tossed the kid into the car, and he went flying across and through the other door.

"What the hell are you, man?" he demanded.

A/N: What did you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey


	12. Little Monsters 4

Disclaimer: I cry very hard when I think about how much I don't own Charmed.

Ch. 12:

Piper peered out of the bedroom doorway to see that the rest of the house was in the same state of disarray as the room. Seeing no one, she decided to make a break for it. She took a step and looked down when she felt something break under her foot. She bent down to pick up a picture frame, holding a picture of a smiling young man. Nearby was a baby toy, which she also picked up.

She turned and found herself face to face with the Beast. He growled and grabbed her, pulling her up with him.

"Last chance." He told her. "Help me get the child or die."

"What are you doing with this?" Piper asked, holding up the toy.

The Beast growled again and threw her across the room where she landed on the bed.

"What is the matter with you?" he demanded. "Do you have a death wish? I've come too far. I've gone through too much to lose him now. Don't make me kill you!"

"Why don't you just do it?" Piper challenged. "What are you waiting for?" She waited a beat. "Get it over with!"

"I can do worse than kill you." He told her. "I can keep you here. You'll never see your child again. Think about it."

He shimmered out, leaving Piper alone as she glanced down at the toy in her hand.

* * *

Meredith made her way back into the attic and put the sleeping baby in the playpen as Paige's potion exploded.

"You people are really bad at the whole quiet thing, aren't you?" Meredith questioned. "How did you ever raise a child?"

Phoebe made a face at her.

"Well, I can't think of anything else to add." Paige said. "It's the most powerful potion we've ever made."

Meredith went over and looked at the ingredients.

"Oh, yeah, this is a classic." She said. "Piper taught this one to me in remedial potions."

"_Remedial_ Potions?" Paige demanded.

"Yeah, I was never very good at them." Meredith said, walking back to the playpen. "Why do you think Chris usually makes them for me?"

"Not what I was questioning." Paige muttered.

"Okay." Phoebe said. "I guess it's time to wake up the baby?"

Her cell phone began to ring and she picked it up as the baby started to stir.

"Hello?" she called.

"Hey, it's me." Came Jason's voice.

"Oh, hey, Jason." Phoebe replied, distractedly.

"I, uh…I didn't want to leave like this." He told her.

"Uh, I can't really talk right now." Phoebe told him. "I'm kind of busy."

"Oh, really?" Jason shot back. "Come on, Phoebe. Why do you always have to make things so difficult?"

"Oh, I make things so difficult?" Phoebe demanded.

The baby stirred and Meredith tried to calm him as she exchanged a nervous look with Paige.

"And how exactly do I do that?" Phoebe continued. "By being honest with my feelings and by making you be honest with yours?"

"You know it's not that simple." Jason told her.

Meredith jumped back as the baby started to cry it's high-pitched wail.

"Okay, I really have to go now." Phoebe said quickly.

"Phoebe, wait." Jason called.

"Have a good flight." Phoebe said, hanging up quickly. "Toss me a vial."

Paige tossed her and Meredith vials as a Manticore shimmered in next to her. She turned and the Manticore backhanded her across the room.

The Manticore took a step towards Phoebe and Meredith, but Phoebe threw the vial and the Manticore exploded.

"Paige, you okay?" Phoebe called.

Paige groaned as two more Manticores shimmered in behind Phoebe and Meredith. They growled and the two women spun around as they threw them across the room, next to Paige.

The Manticores hissed, their forked tongues tasting the air around them as they advanced.

Meredith flung out her hand and blades of ice flew from her, hitting the Manticores and slicing them up pretty badly. Before she could throw the potion, the Beast shimmered in behind the Manticores.

He growled and hit one of the Manticores. The other swung and the Beast blocked the blow before sticking his hand in the other one. For a moment, the two creatures stared at each other before the Manticore disappeared into a pile of dust.

The other Manticore was bleeding on the floor as he turned to look up at the Beast. The two creatures growled and hiss at each other. The Manticore shimmered out, leaving a pool of yellow blood behind.

The baby cooed and the Beast looked down at him. As he walked towards the baby, Paige spotted a vial on the floor.

"Phoebe, get the vial!" she yelled.

Phoebe scrambled to get the vial as the Beast picked up the baby. She threw it and it hit him on the back, injuring him. He growled at her and shimmered out with the baby.

"Well." Meredith said, sitting up. "There goes our leverage."

* * *

Piper stood in front of the door, blasting it over and over again, trying to break through the shield. Finally, the blasts broke through and Piper cautiously reached for the knob. When she knew it wasn't going to shock her, she grabbed it and opened the door.

When she stepped outside, she was surprised to find herself in a normal suburb. She looked up and down the street, confused.

Behind her, she heard the Beast's labored breathing and knew he was back.

She looked out the door for a second before closing it and walking back into the bedroom. Inside, the Beast was hunched over the baby, softly cooing to him.

"Shh." He said softly. "You're okay. It's all right. You're home now."

Sensing he wasn't alone, The Beast turned around and saw Piper watching from the door.

* * *

Paige took a sample of the Manticore's blood off the floor and handed it to Phoebe. Meredith stood a little ways away, with her back to them.

"This had better work." Paige said.

"Oh, it will." Phoebe replied.

There was a flash as Chris and Leo orbed in.

"We just got back from talking to The Elders, and they're in agreement." Leo told them. "If we can't return the baby safely to the Manticores…"

"…we'll vanquish him." Chris finished.

There was a boom as a bolt of electricity hit the wall, which burst into flame and then froze, before hitting the ground in a splash of water.

"Mer?" Chris said.

"The baby's gone." She said, rounding on him. "We've lost him and we've lost Piper. The Manticores kicked our asses, the Beast kicked theirs, and then he took the baby. So, tell me, who gives a damn what the Elders say?"

"Mer…" Chris said, moving towards her.

"No." she replied, pulling away. "What do we do now?"

"We try to see if we can have another little get-together with the Manticores." Paige replied. "See if we can't strike some sort of deal."

"If we can join forces with them to kill the beast," Phoebe said, "then they can get their baby back."

"And we get our sister back." Paige said.

"And what if they don't want to join forces?" Leo asked.

"Well, then we hope we have enough of these fancy little things to go around." Paige replied, holding up the vanquishing potion.

"And I'll be there." Meredith said, stepping forward.

"No." Chris said immediately. "No way. It's too risky."

"Well, blood is thicker than water." Phoebe replied.

She added the Manticore blood to the scrying crystal and began to scry for the Manticores.

Chris walked over to Meredith.

"Mer, are you sure about this?" he asked.

"That baby deserves to be raised by its family." Meredith told him. "It deserves to grow up. No matter who that family might be. No matter what it will grow up to be."

"All right." He said softly. "Just…be careful."

"Don't worry, Chris." She said softly, taking his hand. "We'll get her back."

Chris nodded and squeezed her hand.

* * *

The Beast roared as Piper tried to clean his wound.

"Well, quit moving around so much." She told him. "You're just making this more difficult."

"Just leave me alone." He told her.

"Why?" Piper demanded. "So you can die? Hey, it's your choice. I'm just saying if we can't stop this bleeding-"

"Fine." The Beast interrupted. "Whatever. Just hurry up."

"You're welcome." Piper replied. "Who did this to you?"

"You're sisters." The Beast replied.

"Oh." Piper said. "Sorry. Actually, if they used the potion I think they did, you're lucky to be alive. You should have been blown to pieces."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Well," Piper hesitated, "'cause I made it."

The Beast roared again as Piper touched the wound again.

"Oh, come on." She told him. "Show a little spine. What kind of demon are you?"

"I'm not a demon." He told her.

"Then what are you?" she asked. "I saw a picture of a man in the bedroom. Oh, come on. I've been around a lot of demons, and they don't usually live in neighborhoods right out of Home & Garden."

"Is that why you're helping me?" he shot back. "You think this is some sort of hideous curse or something?"

"Yeah, basically." Piper replied.

"Well, then go." He said, getting up and moving away. "I don't need your pity. That's not what happened, and that's not who I am." He glanced at the baby. "Not anymore, anyway. Just leave us. Go."

Piper got to her feet and approached him.

"Us?" she asked. "You mean you and your…son? What happened?"

"Manticores mate with humans to create hybrids so they can blend in." he told her. "Hide in plain sight. They kill their mates after conception, but I got away. Ever since, all I could think about was saving my son. So he wouldn't have to be raised like one of them. The only chance I had to do that was…to turn myself into this, to become powerful."

"But, um, how?" Piper asked.

"I just started mixing potions…" he replied, "using whatever I could steal from them. I didn't know what I was doing, but I didn't care. All I cared about was finding a way to fight them…to find him. I didn't care what would happen to me. I just wanted my son."

"You know they're gonna try and take him back." Piper said.

"I know." He replied, nodding.

"So let's get you fixed up so we can fight them together." Piper told him.

* * *

Phoebe and Paige orbed into the Manticore's cave and Meredith walked out of the shadows.

"Ooo." Phoebe said, watching the pack eat.

"Hey!" Paige called, waving to get their attention.

The Manticores stopped eating and looked up at them.

"Well that worked." Meredith said. "Now what?"

The Manticores stood up and Phoebe held up the potion vials.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Phoebe warned. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The Manticores growled.

"Do you think we have enough potion?" Meredith asked.

"So…" Phoebe said. "Who wants to go hunting with us?"

The Manticores growled and looked at each other.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Let me know.

Some of you have expressed the opinion that I should only write the parts of the episodes that have to do with Chris and Meredith. I'm sorry, but I think for the sake of the narrative, you have to include the things like Phoebe's date. I hope you continue to read, but I'll be keeping those things in.

Abbey


	13. Little Monsters 5

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, I'd be a lot happier than I am.

Ch. 13:

Piper walked out of the kitchen with a towel in her hand.

"This is gonna be a little cold." She told the Beast.

She put it on his back and check the wound.

"The bleeding's not stopping." She said. "You should come home with me, and we can do more there."

"No, I can't." he replied.

"If you're worried about my sisters-" Piper said.

"It's not your sisters I'm worried about." He told her. "It's the Manticores. They'll be looking for me there. They'll be looking for him there."

"But you don't understand." She protested. "We have somebody who can heal you once we turn you back into-"

"You can't turn me back." The Beast interrupted. "No one can. Not unless I die."

He stood up and moved away, but Piper but a hand on his arm to stop him. The Beast glanced at her hand before looking back at her.

"You can't run forever, you know." She told him. "Not for long. Not with that. And who's gonna save him when you're dead?"

"You have a way with words, you know that?" he asked.

"I ad-lib a lot." She replied.

Suddenly, Paige and Phoebe orbed in, with Meredith stepping out of the shadows behind them.

"Piper, duck!" Phoebe yelled.

They threw potion vials at the Beast, but Piper blew the out of the air.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

A couple of Manticores shimmered in.

"Take her!" Meredith yelled. "I'll cover your escape."

The Manticores attacked the Beast, pushing Piper towards Paige and Phoebe before focusing on the Beast.

"Let's get her out of here." Phoebe agreed.

"No!" Piper said. "Wait!"

Paige quickly orbed herself and her sisters away and Meredith followed a second later.

* * *

When they arrived in the front hall, Piper was panicking.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"Saving your live." Paige replied.

"No, no, no." Piper insisted. "You don't understand. We have to go back. Hurry."

Paige orbed them back and Meredith followed with a sigh.

* * *

When they arrived back, everything was quite. The Manticores and the baby were gone and the Beast lay on the floor, beaten and broken.

"Oh, no." Piper said.

She rushed forward and knelt next to him. As she looked at him, he took a weak breath and suddenly transformed back into a man.

Paige, Phoebe, and Meredith stared at him, completely stunned.

* * *

Paige orbed her sisters and the man home, with Meredith following in the shadows.

"Leo, we need you!" Piper called as they laid the man out on the sofa.

Leo and Chris orbed in.

"Hurry." Piper told him. "He's dying."

"Who is he?" Leo asked as he rushed forward.

"The Beast." Piper replied. "Heal. Heal. Hurry."

Leo put his hands over the man and began to heal him.

"Where's the baby?" Chris asked.

"Manticores have him." Paige replied.

"Oh, so the plan worked." He said happily.

"Yeah." Phoebe replied. "A little too well."

Meredith walked over to Chris and slapped him upside the head.

"What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"I told you we were missing something." She replied smugly. "Now we have to go get him back."

"What?" he shouted.

"Paige, will you go fill up some potion vials, please?" Piper asked.

"Yeah." Paige replied, walking out.

"Lots of 'em." Piper called after her.

"Hold up, are you serious?" Chris demanded. "You finally get rid of the demon child and now you want to risk your lives trying to get it back?"

"He's not a demon child." The man said, sitting up.

"He's your son." Meredith said, smiling sadly. "Am I right?"

He nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Piper asked him. "Are you all right?"

"I can't believe I'm human again." He said, amazed.

"Aren't you glad you didn't kill me now?" Piper asked.

"Not funny." Leo told her. "I don't think that's funny."

"Agreed." Chris and Meredith said at the same moment.

"Oh, what?" Phoebe said, looking at the three of them. "Are you three on, like, the same team now?" She turned to the man. "We're gonna get your baby back. I promise."

"Do we not have a say in this?" Chris asked.

"I don't even let you have a say in what movie we watch most of the time." Meredith told him. "What makes you think you're going to have any say in this?"

"One thing you gotta learn about being their Whitelighter is once they make up their mind, that's it." Leo told him. "Besides, I'm a father first."

He glanced at the man and they had a moment of understanding.

"So we're gonna have to separate the baby before we attack." Phoebe said. "You know that, right?"

"Why?" the man asked.

"Well, because the potion vanquishes Manticores." Piper said gently. "And…your son is half Manticore."

* * *

The Manticores slept in a group around the baby, who was wide awake.

A little ways away, Paige, Piper, Phoebe, and Meredith walked out of the shadows behind a large rock.

"Okay, that was weird." Paige said.

"No, orbing is weird." Meredith whispered back.

"See him?" Piper interrupted, pointing.

"Let's just hope he sees you before they see us." Phoebe said.

"Should I just orb the baby to us?" Paige asked.

"No, he'll probably just shimmer back." Piper replied.

"I could Shadow Walk to him." Meredith suggested.

"They're too close together." Piper replied. "I've got an idea, though."

"Hurry." Phoebe said to Paige, motioning for some vials. "Hurry."

Paige dug in her bag and pulled out the glass bottles, handing them to Piper, Phoebe, and Meredith.

"Thanks." Piper said before turning back to the baby. "Hi!"

The baby squealed and cooed.

"Watch!" Piper told him softly.

She covered her eyes and started to play hide and seek, just like she had with Wyatt.

"Peek-a-boo!" she called. "You can do it. Come on. Come on."

The Manticores began to stir as she covered her eyes and tried again.

"Peek-a-boo!" she called softly.

The Manticores were awake now. They got to their feet and began tasting the air.

"Come on." Piper said. "You can do it."

She covered her eyes and the baby disappeared.

The Manticores looked for the baby as Paige, Phoebe, Piper, and Meredith stood up. They spotted the women and sped towards them. Phoebe and Piper threw their vials and hit the Manticores, vanquishing them.

More Manticores sped towards them, but they all threw their potions. A little while later, after all the Manticores were gone, the baby reappeared.

"You're okay." Piper said, rushing to him. "Hi!" She picked him up. "Good job!"

"So much for nature being more important than nurture." Paige said.

They all smiled.

* * *

The man leaned over the playpen and watched his son play with Wyatt. Behind him, Piper walked up, pushing a stroller with a package on it.

"Here are some clothes and a stroller." Piper told him.

"Sure you don't mind?" he asked.

"No, not at all." She replied. "Wyatt has outgrown it all, and I don't see myself having more kids anytime soon, so enjoy."

"Thanks…" he told her. "Uh, for everything. I just-I wish there was something I could do for you."

"Well, you could tell us your name." Paige said, joining them.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"I mean, unless you prefer being called 'The Beast'?" she asked, smiling.

"Derek." He said, laughing. "My name's Derek."

"It's nice to meet you, Derek." Piper told him.

"What's his name?" Paige asked, looking at the baby.

"I-I never gave him one." Derek told her. "Actually, I never-I never had the chance."

"Well, now you do." Piper said.

"Well, I guess I should be going." He said. "That is if I can pry him away from Wyatt."

"Yeah, good luck." Piper said, chuckling.

The baby shimmered out of the playpen and into the stroller, making his father smile.

"That is cute." Paige said as the phone began to ring. "I'll get it."

She left Piper and Derek alone with the children.

"Uh, you know, if you ever need us to bind his powers…" Piper told him.

"No." he said immediately. "I mean, thanks. That's really sweet, but it's not necessary. He's a good boy, so…it's just up to me to make sure he stays that way."

"In that case, he's in good hands." Piper said, smiling. "Well, take care."

"You, too." Derek replied.

Piper watched as he pushed his son out of the room.

Paige walked in to the room, holding the phone and groaning. She looked sheepish when Piper looked at her.

"What?" her older sister demanded. "What'd you do?"

"I kinda forgot to reverse the spell I put on Darryl." Paige said, wincing.

* * *

Darryl sat in a ruined office. The door was broken, along with the file cabinet. Darryl pulled the phone away from his ear and the handset broke in half. He carefully reached over and gently tried to set it back in the receiver. Instead, the entire desk collapsed.

"Paige!" he yelled.

* * *

The Bay Mirror was closing as Phoebe walked through the bullpen. At first, she headed towards her office before turning and walking towards Jason's. She leaned against his door frame, looking at the dark, empty office.

There was a noise behind her and she turned to see Jason himself.

"Hi." She said awkwardly.

"Hi." He replied.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I-I thought you were on a plane."

"I canceled the flight." He replied. "I mean, it is my plane."

"What about the winery?" she asked.

"It'll be there in the morning." Jason replied. "I, uh, just wasn't sure whether you would be. I didn't want to take the risk."

"Really?" Phoebe asked.

"Really." He replied.

They started to walk towards each other.

"You were right." He told her. "I was-I was running, but not for the reason that you think. I am not afraid of how I feel about you. It doesn't scare me one bit."

"Then why?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's…a little unnerving to have somebody tell you how you feel all the time." He answered. "Before you know it yourself."

"I know." Phoebe said. "I'm sorry."

"You do that a lot, too." Jason told her. "You're very intuitive. It's, uh, it's pretty amazing, actually. It's a real gift."

"Yeah, well, sometimes it can be a curse, too." Phoebe replied.

"Tell me about it." He said, smiling. "Look, all I'm saying is that I'd like to be able to express my feelings if that's all right with you?"

"It's perfectly okay." Phoebe replied.

"Good." Jason said.

Phoebe smiled and stepped into his arms.

"So…." Phoebe said. "While we're on the subject…how do you feel about me?"

"I love you, too." Jason told her.

He leaned down and kissed her.

* * *

Chris found Meredith in the attic, nursing a cup of hot tea.

"Chamomile?" he guessed, sitting next to her.

"I don't know what it is," Meredith said, "but Piper still makes the best tea."

Chris chuckled as he pulled her feet up so they were across his lap.

"You were right." He told her. "I shouldn't have been so quick to want to vanquish him."

"Yeah, well I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss your worries about his affect on Wyatt." Meredith admitted. "Even if you were wrong."

"I think there was an apology in there somewhere." Chris said.

Meredith laughed.

"Am I interrupting?"

They looked up to see Piper standing in the door.

"No, not at all." Meredith said, pulling her legs under her.

"I just had a question." She said, walking over to them. "Jenny was your daughter, wasn't she, Chris?"

Meredith, who had just taken a sip, choked.

"What makes you say that?" Chris asked warily as Meredith coughed.

"Earlier, I heard you say that you lost her too." Piper told him. "And then Meredith referred to her as 'ours'."

Meredith and Chris exchanged a look. Finally, Chris shrugged and Meredith sighed.

"Yes." Meredith replied. "Chris was Jenny's father. Outside of the two of us, and now you, no one know that."

"Okay." Piper replied, nodding. "There's something else I need to tell you."

"What?" Chris asked.

"When you told us how you wound up with us, we decided to look into where little you is now." Piper told Meredith.

"What?" Meredith asked, shocked. "Why?"

"Because more happened when you were a child then you told us." Piper replied. "Because you're a powerfully magical witch and you should be protected."

"But, how can you possibly know that I can be trusted?" Meredith asked. "I could be evil and you could be bringing me into your home."

"You could be, but I don't think so." Piper replied. "Evil can't love, and, no matter what, anyone can see that you loved Jenny. Plus, the Elders think it's a good idea."

"See, now I'm not so sure." Meredith said, making Chris laugh.

"Paige registered as a Foster Parent after we met Tyler." Piper told them.

"The Firestarter, right?" Chris asked.

"Yeah." Piper replied. "We've been trying to get a hold of your case worker in New York, but we're running into difficulties, but we'll make it happen."

"Piper…" Meredith said. "I don't know what to say."

"I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be surprised." Piper said.

Meredith hesitated before getting up and wrapping Piper in a tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Piper smiled and returned the hug.

"You're welcome." She told the younger woman.

When Meredith pulled away, her eyes were bright.

"Don't worry about Wyatt tonight." She told Piper. "I'll take care of him."

"You don't have to." Piper told her.

"Oh, yes, I do." Meredith said, walking backwards to the door. "From what I heard, I was not a fun toddler. I'm just starting to make up for it now."

She turned and walked out.

"Thank you." Chris said softly.

"Do you love her?" Piper asked him.

"I did once." He told her. "But things went wrong. I need to trust her again before I love her again."

Piper nodded.

"Get some rest, Chris." She said, walking out.

Chris smiled before orbing out.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think.

Abbey


	14. ChrisCrossed 1

Disclaimer: Can I just borrow Chris for awhile? An hour or two.

Ch. 14:

The music pounded in P3 as Paige walked up to her sister at the bar.

"Hey, Paige, where ya been?" Piper asked. "You're late."

"I know." She replied, sitting down. "I'm sorry. I got tied up."

"Where?" Piper asked slyly. "At Richard's?"

"No!" Paige said. "I was at work. Get your mind out of the gutter, missy."

"Hey, you're the one that orbs home to fine lingerie." Phoebe said, laughing.

"Two times!" Paige protested. "I did that twice."

"Yeah, it's about the only time we ever see you anymore." Piper told her.

"Why did I come here?" Paige questioned. "To get picked on?"

Phoebe leaned over and gave her a hug.

"Because we love you." She told her sister.

"We kinda miss you." Piper told her.

"I am not at Richard's that much." Paige told them.

Both of her sisters raised their eyebrows.

"Fine." Paige relented. "Okay, maybe I am, but, you know, I am just an orb away if you need help."

"Yeah, the thing is, we just gotta be careful, because if we stray too far away from each other, demons take advantage." Piper said. "We've learned that lesson the hard way a few times."

Phoebe nodded.

"I know." Paige agreed. "I know. I get it. I just really don't want to think of us living together in fifty years."

"Nah!" Piper assured her. "Twenty, thirty years tops."

"We could always move to Hong Kong." Phoebe suggested. "So I could see Jason whenever I want to."

"How do you say 'dream on' in Chinese?" Piper asked.

"Ni Tsai Tsua Mung." Phoebe replied.

"Impressive." Piper said.

"Berlitz." Phoebe replied. "And what about you, Missy? Spill it!"

"Spill what?" Piper said innocently.

"Come on." Phoebe pushed. "You and Greg-put out any fires lately?"

"Is that supposed to be a subtle fireman reference?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, you like it?" Phoebe asked, smiling.

"Wait a minute." Paige said. "You're going out with a firefighter?"

"Proof positive you haven't been around much." Piper told her.

Paige rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Let's see." Phoebe summarized. "They've been seeing each other for about three weeks, and someone-I won't say who, although it's not the fireman-is avoiding taking it to the next step."

"I am not avoiding." Piper protested. "I'm just a little reluctant. That's all."

"My dear, it is time to get back in the saddle." Paige told her.

"Yeah, easy for you to say." Piper said. "You weren't the only one sleeping with an angel for three years."

"Oh, I so don't want to hear about this."

The sisters turned around to find Meredith standing behind them in a short black dress, her hair hanging down around her face.

"Wow, you look amazing." Phoebe told her. "That dress is fantastic."

"Yeah, it's someone's idea of a birthday gift." Meredith said smiling.

"Hey, I thought you'd like it." Chris said from behind her. "Happy Birthday."

"I think maybe I shouldn't have dragged you so many shopping trips." She replied, grinning at him as he kissed her cheek.

"That would've been nice." He replied. "I'll see you later."

He started to walk away, but Meredith stopped him.

"Hey, come on." She told him. "It's my birthday. Dance with me."

"Maybe later." He told her. "I've got work to do."

"Chris, you've got to relax." Piper told him. "Come have a drink with us."

"Thanks, but I didn't come here to relax." Chris replied.

He walked away and Meredith sat down with a sigh.

"That is one bitchy Whitelighter." Phoebe said.

"You're telling me." Piper and Meredith said at the same time.

They looked at each other and Meredith laughed.

"Hey, Piper, why don't you, uh go talk to the guilt machine over there." Paige suggested. "Mmmmm?"

"I'll come with you." Meredith said as Piper slipped off her stool. "If nothing else, maybe we can drag him out."

Piper chuckled.

* * *

Chris entered the back room of P3 and turned on the light to find a woman waiting for him in the chair.

"Bianca…" he said softly, shutting the door behind him.

She stood up and they moved towards each other as Chris shook his head in confusion.

"I don't understand." He told her. "What are you doing here?"

She placed a finger against his lips to stop his questions.

"Shh." She told him. "There'll be time to explain later."

She ran her hand, which had a bird-shaped birthmark on her inner wrist, down his neck to his chest.

"But for now…" she whispered.

Her eyes met his and, with one swift movement, she plunged her hand into his chest, power flowing from him into her hand. Chris slowly sank down as she drained his power from him.

The door opened and Piper walked in, followed my Meredith.

"Hey, Chris, you know, all work and no-hey!" Piper exclaimed.

Bianca looked at them and smirked at Meredith before pulling her hand out of Chris and forming an energy ball.

Piper blasted her and she disappeared into smoke.

Chris slid down the wall and Meredith ran to his side.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked.

Chris sat there, gasping for breath as Meredith made him look at her.

"Yeah." He said, pulling away. "I think so."

Meredith sat back as Piper helped Chris to his feet.

"What happened?" she asked. "Who was she?"

Chris didn't even look at Meredith as he answered Piper.

"I don't know." He replied.

* * *

Paige stood in front of the Book, flipping the pages.

"Is that the mark?" she asked, pointing to a drawing.

"No, it looked more like a bird." Piper replied.

"A bird?" Paige asked. "So you're saying maybe the Audubon society sent the demon after us?"

Piper plopped herself on a chair and Phoebe sat on the arm next to her. Chris paced in front of them, while Meredith stood in front of the window, looking out.

"Just keep looking." Piper told Paige.

"Guys, I'm telling you, I'm fine." Chris said. "Don't sweat it."

"You sure she wasn't a Darklighter?" Leo asked, ignoring Chris.

"I'm sure." Piper told him.

"What else would be after a Whitelighter?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know." Leo replied. "That's what worries me."

"She's gone." Chris said. "Piper blew her away. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is someone tried to kill you, Chris." Phoebe said. "Meredith, what do you think?"

Meredith turned and looked at Chris before sighing.

"I think, whoever she is, Piper killed her." She said.

"See?" Chris said. "Look at me. Not a scratch. Nothing."

Meredith turned back to the window as Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, how did she get that close to you anyway, if you didn't even know who she was?" Leo asked.

Chris resumed his pacing and stepped on a squeaky floorboard.

"You really ought to fix that, you know." He said.

"Come on, Chris." Leo said. "Who's after you?"

"Has it crossed your mind that maybe she wasn't after me?" Chris replied. "Maybe she was trying to get to them."

"Kind of makes sense." Paige said, looking up from the Book.

"Finally!" Chris exclaimed. "Somebody's listening to me.

Meredith growled and walked over to him.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked softly.

He hesitated before nodding and the two walked out of the attic.

"He's not telling the truth." Leo said, watching them go.

"Leo, maybe there's nothing to tell." Paige said.

"Could you sense anything?" Leo asked Phoebe.

"From Chris?" she asked. "No, I can never sense anything from him."

"What about Meredith?" he asked.

"Just worry." Phoebe answered. "She worries about him a lot."

"What are you thinking?" Piper asked.

"I'm thinking that if we figure out who she was, we might be able to figure out who Chris is." Leo replied.

"Well, we're not gonna find it in here." Paige said, closing the book. "At least not until we have more to go on, so you guys know where I'm gonna be if you need me."

Paige headed for the door and Phoebe got up.

"Yeah." She said. "I gotta go, too."

They both left the attic and Leo watched them leave.

"Wait, you're just gonna let 'em go?" Leo asked Piper.

"What do you want me to say?" Piper asked. "They have lives, too. Besides, what more can we do?"

"Well, we can try and figure out who the demon is and make sure nobody else is after him." Leo said.

The doorbell rang and Piper turned her head in that direction.

"I'll get it." Leo said. "You just keep checking out the book, okay?"

"No, Leo, really, I'd rather you-" Piper started, but he had already orbed away.

* * *

Leo orbed to the front door and opened it to find a good looking man on the front porch.

"Can I help you?" Leo asked him.

"Yeah, is Piper home?" the man asked.

"Uh, who's asking?" Leo asked.

"I'm Greg." The man replied. "She's expecting.

"Leo, I got it." Piper said, coming up behind him. "Sorry, I'm running a little late."

She grabbed her bag and headed out the front door as Greg leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Leo, as in your-?" he asked.

"Yeah." Piper replied. "One and the same. Leo, Greg. Greg, Leo."

"Nice to finally meet you." Greg told him, holding his hand out to Leo.

"Thanks." Leo replied, taking the hand. "Finally."

"So, are you gonna be okay taking care of everything-" Piper asked. "Wyatt…and Chris and Meredith?"

"Uh, yeah." Leo replied, smiling tightly. "Absolutely."

Piper stared at him doubtfully.

"Really, everything'll be fine." He assured him. "If anything comes up, I'll call you."

"Okay." Piper said. "Thanks. Good night."

Greg waved to Leo as they left and Leo shut the door. He leaned heavily on the door for the moment, before walking away.

* * *

Chris sat down on the bed as Meredith stood in front of him.

"Let me see." She said.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't mess with me." Meredith said strictly. "The sisters may not know what she was, but I do, and I know what she was doing. So, let me see."

Chris sighed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a wound on his chest.

Meredith hissed as she examined it.

"This is not good." She told him. "She's the only one who can heal this."

She backed away as he buttoned his shirt.

"Why is she here?" she asked softly.

"I don't know." Chris replied.

"Chris, I hate to say it, but this does kind of lend itself to the idea that she…" Meredith trailed off.

"I know." He said softly.

"What are we going to do?" Meredith asked.

"I don't know." He replied.

He got up and walked past her out of the room. Meredith watched him go, sighing.

* * *

Chris stood in the bathroom, looking at the wound. He stared at it in the mirror for a moment before closing his shirt.

He bowed his head and sighed heavily. He lifted his eyes to the mirror and dug in his pocket for something. Finally, he took out an engagement ring.

_In the ruins of the arboretum, Chris slipped a ring onto Bianca's finger._

"_Will you marry me?" he asked._

"_You're asking me now?" she asked._

"_Mm-hmm." He replied, nodding._

"_Here?" she questioned._

"_This is still our spot, Bianca, no matter what he's done to it." He told her._

"_I doubt it was him." She said softly._

"_Bianca." He sighed._

"_I'm sorry." She said. "I know you don't believe it, but I don't have the same faith in her you do."_

"_Forget all that." He told her, squeezing her hand. "Marry me."_

"_On one condition." She told him. "You come back to _me…_" Chris laughed. "Safely."_

"_Have I ever let you down before?" he asked._

_She looked at him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. The kiss was interrupted though by a whirring sound. Bianca pulled away and looked around._

"_What's that?" she asked._

_They saw a probe fly over the wall, dive to their spot and start to scan Bianca._

"_Chris!" she shouted._

_Chris waved his hand and the probe flew into an old stone statue and exploded on impact._

"_Are you okay?" he asked Bianca as she took a couple of deep breaths._

"_Yeah." She said. "Yeah. I don't think it had time to transmit."_

_Chris surged to his feet in frustration. _

"_I cannot believe he's sending probes after us now." Chris said angrily. "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."_

_Bianca got to her feet and tried to calm him down._

"_No." she told him. "No, you're not. You're gonna stick to the plan. Besides, you don't even know it was him that sent it."_

"_For the last time, Bianca, Meredith did not betray us." Chris ground out. "She did what she had to. She would never hurt me or you."_

"_Why can't you see that she doesn't care what happens to you?" Bianca shot back. "She choose Wyatt! Why can't you just let her go?"_

"_Because she's trapped." Chris told her. "Because I have to save her!"_

"_Is that why you're doing this?" Bianca asked, stepping back. "To get her back? Is that why you're going back?"_

"_No, Bianca." Chris said, taking her hand. "I'm going back to save us all. I have to stop him, and this is the only way."_

_She sighed and wrapped his arms around him._

"_I'll be here." she told him softly. "Waiting for you."_

Chris looked away from the ring, sighing. Finally, he slipped the ring back in his pocket.

* * *

Meredith stood, looking out her window. In her hand was her wedding ring.

_Meredith sat in the living room, playing with her daughter, when a demon shimmered in. Without thinking, Meredith threw up her arm and a blast of electricity flew from her hand, hitting the demon and vanquishing him._

"_I've told you not to do that." _

_She turned to see Wyatt standing behind her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw how close he was to Jenny, but she forced herself to breath easily._

"_And I've told you, I don't want them shimmering in that close to Jenny." Meredith said crossly. "What if they decide to revolt? Jenny is the easiest target of all of us. She's the one they'll go after. I'm only protecting my daughter."_

_Wyatt chuckled and moved to stand in front of her._

"_My little warrior." He said softly._

_A second later, he backhanded her, sending her flying across the room._

"_Please stop killing the help." He told her conversationally as she unsteadily got back on her feet._

_Jenny looked at her mother, tears in her eyes._

"_How 'bout you stop scaring your daughter?" Meredith shot back, spitting blood out of her mouth._

"_She needs to learn that orders are to be obeyed." He replied easily._

"_What do you want, Wyatt?" Meredith asked wearily. "Don't you have a world you're supposed to be running?"_

"_Yes, but I need some information from you." He replied. "I've just heard that my dear brother is going to ask his Phoenix whore to marry him. Where do you think he'll do it?"_

"_The park." Meredith said immediately. "Under the willow tree. It's where he and Bianca would go to be alone."_

_Wyatt smiled and threw her into a wall, holding her there with his powers._

"_You're lying." He said softly. "Do you think I'm stupid? That's where you and he went. Now where would he go?"_

_Meredith looked past him to see a terrified Jenny and the fight went out of her._

"_The Arboretum." She replied softly. "Send the probe to the Arboretum."_

_He let her go and she fell to the ground, coughing._

"_Now was that so hard?" he asked before orbing out._

_Jenny ran to her mother, crying, and Meredith gathered her up in her arms._

"_Run, Chris." She said softly. "I'm sorry."_

Meredith clenched the ring in her hand before putting it in her pocket and walking out.

A/N: What did you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey


	15. ChrisCrossed 2

Disclaimer: Please just leave me alone. I'm not hurting anyone!

Ch. 15:

Richard carried a lap tray filled with breakfast and had a vase with a single red rose on it over to the bed where Paige was sleeping.

"Morning." He said, smiling.

"Wow!" she said, sitting up as he set the tray down.

"'Wow'." Richard repeated. "One of the most powerful witches in the world, and you can say is, 'wow'."

"I don't know." Paige replied, smirking. "Maybe I just need a little more inspiration."

Richard smiled and leaned forward, kissing her.

"Well?" Richard asked.

"I still think 'wow' pretty much covers it." She told him. "You better be careful, 'cause a girl could get used to this."

"That's the plan." Richard replied.

Paige laughed.

"Did you tell your sisters you were moving out?" he asked.

Paige looked away and Richard sighed.

"No." he said, disappointed.

"Like, it just-it hasn't really been the right time." She told him. "You know, things have been a little funky, we're trying to get Meredith, and…"

"There's never a right time." He said.

"You don't understand." Paige told him. "Piper would probably blow a major gasket, and then we've got all family obligations, and…like it or not, we're stronger together."

"You gotta do something for you." Richard told her, nodding.

A cell phone began to ring and Richard pointed to it.

"Should I get that?" he asked.

Paige nodded and he handed it to her.

"It's the house." She said, looking at the caller id.

Richard looked away as she answered it.

"Hello?" she said.

* * *

Paige orbed into the manor, wearing only her nightgown, to find Leo and Wyatt sitting with the Book in the conservatory.

"Paige, when I said I needed you, I meant a fully-clothed you." He told her.

"Oh, please, Leo, what's the big emergency?" Paige scoffed.

"What would you say if I told you whoever attacked Chris was called a Phoenix?" he asked.

"Well, I would say, 'What's a Phoenix?', and then you'd probably tell me." Paige replied.

"They're a family of assassin witches who are very elite, very powerful, and who were born with a distinct birthmark symbolizing their rise from Salem's ashes." A voice said.

Leo and Paige turned to see Meredith leaning against the door with a cup of tea in her hand.

"And if Chris finds out I told you that, I will kill you." She told them.

She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to sit next to Leo.

"Well, does the book say what they want?" Paige asked.

Leo pushed the book towards her.

"Just whatever bounty they're after, which, in this case, is Chris, which means they're still after him." Leo told her. "And they won't stop until they succeed. Wanna tell us why?"

Meredith smirked and took a sip of her tea.

"Not really." She replied.

"Did you call Phoebe and Piper?" Paige asked Leo.

"No, Phoebe's at work, and Piper came in kind of late, so I didn't want to disturb her." He replied, looking anywhere but her.

"Oh!" Paige said. "Did she, um, come home alone?"

"Please don't answer that." Meredith said shuddering.

"Hey!" Piper said, coming into the conservatory, wearing her robe. "Talking about me?"

"God, I hope not." Meredith muttered, getting up. "Morning, Piper."

"Morning, Meredith." Piper replied.

"Well, I'm out." She said, getting up. "See you later."

She disappeared into the shadows before any of them could even move.

"I swear she and Chris are competing to see who can be more mysterious." Piper said before turning back to the others. "Morning!"

"Morning." Leo said nervously. "Hi. No. Uh…"

He stood up and carried Wyatt over to Piper.

"Listen, Wyatt's been fed." He told her as she took Wyatt and he stepped away. "And I'm gonna get some coffee and Paige'll fill you in."

He left the room and Piper gave Paige a look.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, Leo just found out that a coven of assassin witches called the Phoenix are after Chris." Paige replied.

"So that's what you guys were talking about?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, in the beginning." Paige replied. "And then I just kind of asked him if you'd maybe come home with anybody."

"I see." Piper replied. "Well that explains why Meredith bolted."

Wyatt gurgled and Piper looked at him.

"Did you?" Paige asked.

When Piper ignored her, she continued.

"Oh come on." She said. "If a girl can't ask that, what can a girl ask?"

"Actually, no." Piper replied reluctantly.

"I'm sorry." Her sister told her. "Maybe he's just not the right guy."

"No, it's not Greg." Piper said, sighing. "It's just me. It's just weird now that I'm a mom. I feel like I'm betraying Wyatt somehow."

"I think you're just betraying yourself." Paige replied.

"Yeah, I know." Piper agreed. "It's weird." She sighed and changed the subject. "So, uh, coven of assassin witches."

"Yeah." Paige replied.

"Maybe we should call Phoebe." Piper suggested.

"No." Paige said. "I think we can do this by ourselves. I don't think you have to bother her."

"Well, what if we need the Power of Three after we find them?" Piper asked.

"You didn't need the Power of Three to blow up the last one." Paige pointed out.

"No, but…" Piper trailed off.

"So, we need to try out this whole Power of Two thing, learn how to be flexible, right?" Paige told her. "So, you stay here. I'm gonna go get the scrying crystal."

She left and Piper turned to look at Wyatt.

"Hmm." She mused.

* * *

"Phoebe, I offered you the time off." Elise told her. "Take it!"

The woman stood in the doorway of Phoebe's office, staring her down.

"Go see Jason in Hong Kong." Elise said.

"It's just another airport, another city." Phoebe replied, shrugging.

"You can always send in the column." Elise replied. "E-mail, fax machine. It's the 21 century, and I'd like to welcome you to it. When I say take time, I don't mean a vacation. Go live there for a while. Give it a shot."

"Elise, I don't-" Phoebe started.

"No!" Elise interrupted. "I want you to listen to me! It's time I gave you some advice for once." She stepped all the way into the office. "Don't let it be work."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"There's a whole generation of women out there who followed the dream, built successful careers…" Elise told her. "But at the expense of everything else. Now, I'm not saying I think they all made mistakes, 'cause some of them are very happy, but some of us aren't. Trust me, you don't want to wake up one day and realize that all you've got is your career."

* * *

Piper and Paige stood in a hallway as an apartment door opened to reveal a wary woman.

"Hi!" Piper said cheerfully. "How's it going?"

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"Hopefully." Piper replied.

"Yeah." Paige added. "See, we just moved in from out of state, and we wanted to get to know our neighbors."

"Oh, well, welcome." The woman replied. "Where did you move from?"

"Phoenix." Piper replied with a huge grin.

"Really?" the woman said, wary again.

The sisters both smiled at her.

"Please, come in." the woman said, stepping back. "Come in."

"Thank you." Paige said as she and Piper stepped in.

"Mm-hmm." The woman replied, shutting the door and locking it as they walked into the living room.

"Wow!" Piper said, looking around. "Nice place."

"Yeah, real nice." Paige added.

"Thank you." The woman said.

A little girl ran out and tugged at the woman's shirt.

"Mommy." She said. "Mommy, can you play with me?"

"Bianca, sweetie, could you give mommy a minute?" the woman asked, taking the girl's hand. "Okay?"

"Okay." The girl agreed.

Piper noticed the phoenix birth mark on the inside of Bianca's wrist as the woman ushered her out.

"Go and play with your toys." She told her daughter. "I'll be right in, okay?"

"Now what?" Paige asked quietly.

The woman closed the door before turning and throwing an energy ball at Piper and Paige.

"Look out!" Piper cried as she and Paige dodged the blast.

The woman powered up another energy ball, but this time, Piper blew her up.

"The kid!" Piper said, quickly motioning to Paige.

They hurried into the other room just in time to see the woman reform inside and pick up Bianca.

"Hurry, Bianca!" she cried, shimmering them both out.

"They can re-form?" Paige said, starring at the place the woman had been, stunned.

"Apparently." Piper said dryly. "Which means the one that attacked Chris can, too."

* * *

Chris orbed into the arboretum, right in front of the angel statue. It took him much longer to re-form than normal, and when he finally appeared fully, he gasped in pain and sat on the bench.

"You really shouldn't try to orb anymore, you know?" Bianca said as she stepped out from behind the angel. "I could kill you."

"Is that what you want?" Chris asked her.

"If that's what I wanted, you'd already be dead." Bianca told him flatly. "All I want is to bring you back."

"What about Meredith?" Chris asked her.

"He doesn't care if she's dead or alive." Bianca said casually. "I guess it depends on how much she resists."

"How'd you know I'd be here?" he asked her.

"Same reason you knew I'd be waiting here." she replied. "I mean, this is still our spot…isn't it?"

"No." he replied, shaking his head. "This is what we hoped it would be. This is what we were trying to preserve for our future. Do you remember?"

"We were naïve to think we could change anything…to stop him." Bianca told him. "Turns out Meredith had the right idea all along. Join him before it's too late."

"Meredith didn't join him to save herself." Chris shot back. "She did it because she wanted to protect us as best she could. She was the only one Wyatt ever listened to at all."

"And look what it got her." Bianca sneered. "A dead daughter and a death sentence hanging over her head. It's better to be on his side."

"You don't believe that." Chris protested.

He looked at her and saw the look in her eyes.

"Or at least you didn't." he continued.

"Well, I do now." She replied.

"What happened to you, Bianca?" Chris asked. "How did he turn you back?"

"That's not important." She answered. "What is important is that I was interrupted in stripping you of your powers, and if I don't finish what I started, you'll die soon. Think of it as…an infection. And I'm the only one with the antidote."

"That's what you think."

Bianca spun around and grabbed Meredith's hand before she could throw the potion in it.

"Going to steal my powers?" she asked, throwing the potion harmlessly on the ground. "Naughty."

She pulled Meredith towards her and jammed her hand into the woman's chest.

"Ah ah ah." Meredith said, breathing heavily. "I don't have any power for you to strip, remember? I'm just a conduit for power."

"So you are." Bianca agreed.

An athame appeared in her hand and Meredith gasped as she stabbed her with it.

"No!" Chris shouted as Meredith stumbled back, holding the wound in her stomach.

"I told you, it depended on how much she resisted." Bianca said, watching Meredith fall to the ground.

There was a slow flash of orbs and Chris appeared at Meredith's side. Before he was even done re-forming, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, orbing away again. Bianca tried to grab the orbs, but it was too late.

They were gone.

* * *

"Wait." Phoebe said. "How old is the little girl?"

"I don't know." Piper replied as they sat in the living room. "Four? Five?"

There was a flash of orbs and Chris appeared, holding the bleeding Meredith in his arms.

"Chris!" Paige cried. "Meredith! What happened?"

Chris ignored them as they rushed over to the couple. Everything in him was focused on Meredith.

"Leo, heal her." Piper ordered.

The Elder reached over, but Meredith swatted his hand away.

"No." she whispered.

"Mer, let him heal you." Chris insisted.

"It's better this way." She said softly. "She's not going to stop. At least if she can take my body back, maybe he'll leave you alone. Maybe it'll buy you time. At least enough to finish what you started."

"No!" Chris cried. "You can't leave me. Not again. I won't lose you again."

"I'm sorry." Meredith said, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry. For everything. For leaving. For Jenny. I'm sorry."

"No, you don't get to walk away again." Chris told her. "I let you leave once. I'm not letting you go again."

"Chris…" she whispered, her voice growing weaker. "Should've told you…all those years ago…shouldn't have gone to him…should've…said…love…yo-"

She stopped breathing.

"No." Chris growled. "No!"

He felt a surge of power and his hands lit up. They all stared at him as he stared at his hands.

"But you can't heal." Leo pointed out. "You said so."

Chris ignored him and held his glowing hand over the wound in Meredith's stomach. After a moment, the blood receded and the wound closed, but Meredith still didn't move.

"Come on." Chris whispered. "Come on."

Suddenly, Meredith gasped and her eyes flew open.

"Wha-?" she said, looking around, confused, before looking at Chris. "But-how?"

He didn't answer. He just slumped over, shivering.

"Chris!" she cried.

She quickly sat up, holding him in her arms this time. Piper and Paige quickly helped her move him to the couch where he lay, delirious.

"Bianca…" he mumbled.

The other looked down at him as Meredith knelt next to the couch, holding his hand tightly.

A/N: Second chapter of Chris-Crossed down. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	16. ChrisCrossed 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, but I wish I did.

Ch. 16:

Chris lay on the couch as Leo worked around Meredith to open Chris's shirt. They all gasped when they saw the wound, which had grown.

"Oh, my god." Phoebe said. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Leo replied.

"Doesn't matter." Piper said. "Just heal him."

Leo put quickly put his hands over Chris's chest.

"Why didn't you tell us about that?" Paige demanded of Meredith.

"Why don't you tell us about a lot of things?" Piper asked.

"Because we thought we could handle it." Meredith replied sadly. "And that's not going to work."

"What's the problem?" Piper asked Leo, who was having difficulty healing Chris.

"He's not healing." Leo replied, pulling away. "Something's draining his powers and blocking mine. It's like a virus."

"A virus named Bianca." Piper said.

"You think she did this?" Phoebe asked.

"She did." Meredith said softly. "She was sent to bring back."

"Well, we have to find her to save him." Phoebe said. "Figure out what she did-"

She broke off as her empath power over whelmed her.

"Whoa." She said, moving forward to kneel next to Chris and Meredith.

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"Oh, my god." Phoebe said softly. "He loves her."

"Loves who?" Paige asked. "Bianca?"

"Of course he loves her." Meredith said, reaching over to his other hand and pulling something out.

She held the thing up to reveal an engagement ring.

"Obviously an acrimonious split." Paige said.

"But I thought you and him-" Piper said. "But what about Jenny?"

"What about Jenny?" Paige asked.

"Chris was Jenny's father." Meredith said, not looking at them. "After I left, Bianca was there for him. She picked up the pieces I left."

The others were silent as Meredith handed the ring to Piper.

"You have something to scry with." She told her. "Find her. She and I have some unfinished business to take care of."

Piper nodded and she and her sisters left, leaving Chris and Meredith alone with Leo.

"Bianca." Chris mumbled. "Bianca."

Meredith closed her eyes and leaned her head against his hand. She jumped when Leo rested his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him, he gently brushed a tear away from her cheek.

"I'm sorry." He told her softly. "But don't worry. The sisters will find her. They'll save him."

Meredith nodded before returning her attention back to Chris.

"Bianca…" he mumbled.

* * *

"_Welcome to the Halliwell Memorial Museum…"_

_A tour guide led a group through the Manor, which was no longer a home, but a museum._

"_A tribute to magic, and, of course, the Charmed Ones." The guide continued. "Please remember there is no digi-capturing, no holographing, and most certainly, no magic allowed while inside the museum. That's a big one. Don't worry about those probes, folks. They are merely scanning for witches."_

_The guide moved on and the probe continued to scan the group._

"_Now, as we pass through the foyer, not the family portraits hanging on the walls which date all the way back to the witch trials." The guide said. "Including one of the grand matriarch herself, Melinda Warren, the woman who literally gave birth to the storied legacy…"_

_As the main group walked past the probes, Chris and Bianca trailed behind. When it went to scan them, Chris waved his hand so the probe scanned a mannequin._

"_Nicely done." Bianca said._

_The tour continued into the sitting room. All the gurniture had been removed and various displays were set up._

"_Around you, you'll notice just a few of the many mythological creatures the legendary sisters transformed into in their demon-fighting heyday." The guide said. "Actually, the Charmed Ones were responsible for well over 1,000 demon vanquishes before they were finally vanquished themselves."_

_The woman hit a control and the lights dimmed._

"_Now, the time is 25 years ago." She said. "Imagine yourselves standing here on this very florr when the Charmed Ones were reborn."_

_A holographic screen appeared and a vision of Paige joining her sisters for the first time appeared._

"_Okay." The Holographic Paige said. "What was that?"_

"_I think that means you're supposed to be here." the Holographic Leo said._

_The front door crashed open and a wind entered the house, blowing the girls to the floor. As Shax appeared, a couple of tour group members screamed. The guide smiled and turned off the hologram._

"_Scares 'em every time." She said, chuckling. "Okay, let's head over to the kitchen where many of the sisters' classic potions were brewed. Some of which are available for purchase in the gift shop on the way out." She led the group into the kitchen. "Of course, the attic was the preferred spot for potion-making, because that's where they kept the famed Book of Shadows, which is where we're headed next. A little background on the manor itself." She said as she led them out. "It was actually destroyed in the earthquake of 1906…"_

_As the group left, Chris and Bianca hung behind. _

"_Hey, you two, move along." A demon said, appearing behind them._

"_Wait for it." Bianca whispered._

_The demon stepped forward just as an athame appeared in her grip._

"_Are you deaf?" he asked. "I sai-"_

_As soon as he spoke, Bianca turned and lethally slashed him and he went up in a wall of fire and smoke. Chris stared at her as she walked past the vanquished demon to the basement door. She opened the door and looked back at Chris._

"_Come on." She said._

_She ran down the stairs, and when she reached the bottom, she looked around alertly, still holding the athame in her hand. Chris walked down behind her, sitting on the steps as the athame disappeared from her grip._

"_We should be safe here until the museum closes." Bianca said, sighing. "Then, we'll go get the book." She turned back to look at him. "What's the matter?"_

"_Nothing." He said. "It's just…sometimes I forget who you really are."_

"_Hey." She said, her demeanor softening. "Come here." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "You mean who I used to be, Chris, before I met you."_

_He was quiet for a moment._

"_So…" he said, "what do we do now?"_

"_Hmm." She said, thoughtfully. "We say goodbye."_

_Chris watched as she unsnapped her shirt and let it fall to the ground, before leaning forward and kissing her._

* * *

Meredith gently wiped off Chris's face as Leo brought her a glass of water.

"Thanks." She said.

She gently lifted up Chris's head and poured a little bit of water into his mouth.

"He's delirious." She said, laying his head back on the pillow. "He can't tell the difference between reality and his memories. He thinks he's getting ready to leave from the future. He thinks he's with Bianca."

"What happened between you two?" Leo asked softly. "If he was Jenny's father, how did he wind up with a Phoenix? How did you wind up with an evil who destroyed the future?"

"I got pregnant, and I did what I had to do to protect my daughter." Meredith said simply. "Even if it meant running to the man who was hell bent on killing her father."

"I'm surprised he trusts you at all." Leo said bluntly.

"You and me both." Meredith replied. "I turned my back on everyone I loved, on everything I believed in, and he never lost faith in me. I don't know how he can even stand to look at me."

"He loves you." Leo said.

"He loves Bianca." Meredith scoffed. "He asked her to marry him. I'm just the woman who broke his heart."

"I've seen the way he looks at you." Leo said. "He worries about you more than anyone, just like you worry about him."

"Like you worry about Piper?" Meredith asked shrewdly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Leo said, looking away.

"Un huh." She said, standing up. "You forget, I'm from the future. I know you still love her."

"It doesn't matter." Leo said, surprised by his honesty. "I left."

"So did I." Meredith said. "Maybe we'll both get second chances."

She reached down and gently brushed Chris's hair away from his face before walking to the window. She leaned against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself as Leo watched her for a moment. Finally, he sighed and went back to watching Chris.

* * *

_Meredith walked into the Manor, carrying an infant Jenny in her arms, to find everything being packed up._

"_What is going on?" she said, walking into the attic where Wyatt was standing in front of the Book._

"_I'm going to create a museum in honor of the Charmed Ones." He said._

"_And we're going to live…?" Meredith trailed off, setting Jenny in the playpen._

"_I'm building a castle." He replied. "One fit for a my princess." He walked over and picked up Jenny. "Don't you think it's odd that she hasn't begun to exhibit any powers except for her Whitelighter abilities?"_

"_I didn't begin to exhibit my elemental powers until I was a toddler." Meredith covered quickly. "She's probably just too much like me."_

_Wyatt studied Meredith for a moment before shrugging and setting Jenny back down._

"_You're probably right." He said. "Do you want to see our new home?"_

"_Can I have a moment alone?" she asked. "I want to say goodbye."_

"_You always were a strange one." Wyatt said, kissing her forehead. "Take all the time you'd like to say goodbye to the house."_

_He chuckled and walked out._

"_Sam?" Meredith called softly._

_A second later, a nanny elf appeared._

"_Ma'am?" she said._

"_Can you take Jenny and make sure her things are being packed correctly?" Meredith asked._

"_Of course." The little woman replied, picking up Jenny. "Will you need anything else, ma'am?"_

"_Not just now, Sam, thank you." Meredith replied._

_The elf nodded and left with Jenny._

_Meredith sighed and looked around the room. She walked across the room to the Book, but stopped when she heard the floor board creak under her foot. She looked down at the floor before quickly walking quickly to the table and grabbing a pen and paper._

* * *

A vase shattered on the floor as Bianca trashed the apartment. She walked across the destruction to the armoire in the corner and opened it, tossing the contents on the floor as she looked for something.

Behind her, Lynn, her mother, shimmered in.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" she demanded.

"Where's the Grimoire?" Bianca demanded, barely glancing behind her.

"One more time." Lynn replied, holding up an energy ball in her hand. "Who are you?"

Not wanting to waste time, Bianca turned around and stared at her.

"Who do you think I am?" she demanded, holding up her left wrist to show Lynn her phoenix birthmark. "Mother."

"Bianca?" Lynn whispered as the energy ball dissipated.

"In the flesh." Her daughter replied. "Now, where's the Grimoire? I have to get the Charmed Ones off my tail fast. I need a spell to do it."

"I don't understand." Lynn said as Bianca turned around and resumed her search. "How is this possible?"

"Look, I don't have time for reunions, okay?" Bianca said harshly. "And I'm not about to make the same mistake a thousand other demons have made, now where's the damn book?"

Lynn flicked her wrist and a small book appeared on the corner of the coffee table.

"Thanks." Bianca said, picking it up and starting to rummage through it. "Do you know where the Inhibition Spell is?"

"How is that gonna help?" her mother asked.

"Look, I know the Charmed Ones." Bianca replied. "I've studied their history. This is when they all want their separate lives. If I can release their inhibitions, maybe I can get them to pursue them."

"The spell won't last long." Lynn told her.

"It doesn't have to." Bianca said. "Just long enough to distract them so I can get what I can for." She found the spell and tore it out. "Got it. Thanks."

Bianca put down the book and went to leave, but Lynn stopped her.

"Wait." She said. "I-do you have to leave so soon? Can't I help?"

Bianca turned and looked at her mother coldly.

"Yeah." She replied. "Someday when I ask you what it feels like to kill…don't lie to me. Don't tell me you don't feel a thing."

She turned back around, shimmering away as she walked.

* * *

"Hang on there, buddy." Leo said as he dabbed Chris's forehead with a damp cloth.

He looked up to find Meredith watching him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "I just don't think I've ever seen you call him buddy."

"We found Bianca." Piper said as she and her sisters walked in, cutting off whatever Leo was going to say. "She's at her mother's."

"Little Bianca?" Leo asked.

"No, the one we want." Piper replied. "Here. Something for Chris to remember her by. Or not."

She reached over and handed the engagement ring back to Meredith.

"Goody." Meredith said. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you need to stay here." Phoebe told her.

"What?" The woman demanded. "Why?"

"Chris is going to need someone here." Piper told her. "He's going to need you."

Meredith looked back at Chris before sighing.

"All right." She said softly. "Just make sure you take her down."

"We will." Paige assured her. "Got the vanquishing potion, so after we orb over there, I'm gonna…"

She broke off as a light washed across her and Phoebe and Piper. When she didn't continue, Meredith and Leo looked at her.

"You're gonna…what?" Leo asked.

"I'm gonna move into Richard's house." Paige said.

"Are you?" Piper asked. "Good for you."

"That's a great idea." Phoebe agreed. "And I think I'm gonna go check out what's going on in Hong Kong."

"Cool." Paige replied.

Leo and Meredith stared at them.

"Wait." Leo said, getting to his feet. "Hang on a second. This isn't you guys. You must be under some kind of spell. You have to fight this."

"How can you fight your heart?" Phoebe asked.

"Or your hormones?" Piper added.

"Yeah." Paige agreed.

"Will you drop me off on the way to Richard's?" Phoebe asked Paige.

"I would love to." Paige said.

"Paige, Phoebe, Piper, you've got to listen to us." Meredith told them.

"Zay jen." Phoebe said in Chinese.

"Wait." Leo said.

They both orbed out as Piper nodded at them before walking out of the room.

Leo and Meredith exchanged a look as Chris groaned.

"Leo…" Meredith said helplessly.

"I know." He replied.

"What do I tell them?" Chris mumbled as they looked down at him.

* * *

"_Don't tell them anything." Bianca said as she peered inside the attic to make sure it's safe._

_When they saw it was empty, they quickly entered and closed the door after them._

"_Just stick to your cover story." She continued. "The less they know about the future, the better."_

"_Well, what if they find out who I really am?" he asked._

"_They won't…" Bianca replied, opening the rope so they could enter the restricted area. "Not as long as you can pass yourself off as their Whitelighter."_

"_And you're sure I won't lose my powers when I go back?" Chris asked._

"_Yeah, not with this spell." Bianca replied. "That's why we need it. Look, just remember: Protect baby Wyatt, and you protect the Charmed Ones. Keep them alive for our future."_

"_Great." He said. "No pressure there."_

_Chris stepped forward towards Bianca, the loose floorboard creaking under his feet. He paused for a second before continuing on._

"_Chris, you know you're the only one who can do this." Bianca told him. "You're the only one who can save us."_

"_If I make it back." Chris replied._

"_Baby, you have to make it back…" Bianca said. "If you want to marry me."_

_He smiled softly and kissed her._

"_You really know how to motivate a guy, you know that?" he said._

_Bianca laughed as they walked over to a holographic display version of the book. Bianca stood in front of it and passed her hand through it._

"_Sure you can summon the real book?" she asked him._

"_Yeah." Chris replied._

"_Away from him?" Bianca pressed._

"_Yeah." Chris assured her. "But we won't have much time once it gets here. His demons will be all over us."_

"_We won't need much time." Bianca told her. "Just long enough to send you back to them."_

_Bianca dug into her pocket and walked over to the far attic wall. She pulled out a thick piece of white chalk and started to draw a triquetra on the wooden boards._

_He watched her work for a moment before walking back to the loose board in the floor. He made sure she was busy before leaning down and quickly lifting it up. He pulled a small piece of paper out and opened it._

Sorry, Chris. I hope you'll be alright. And even if they'll never be answered, I'll always keep you in my prayers. Be safe.

_And that was all it said. No name, nothing._

"_You too, Mer." He whispered before walking back to Bianca._

"_Hurry…" Chris told her._

* * *

"…before he finds us." Chris mumbled.

Leo paced the floor as Meredith tried to calm Chris down.

"Paige?" Leo called upwards. "Phoebe? Get back here right now! That's an order!"

Piper walked down the stairs, dressed to go out.

"Wyatt's sleeping, and the monitor is in the kitchen." Piper told them.

"Okay, Piper, but you can't go anywhere." Leo told her. "What about Chris?"

"Wish me luck!" Piper told him.

* * *

Meredith dried Chris's forehead.

"It's alright." She told him softly. "It's going to be alright. I'm gonna fix this. I'll save you."

Without her noticing, Bianca shimmered into the room. She saw Meredith and quietly walked over to her and hit her upside the head with an athame. Meredith fell over, her head landing on Chris's chest.

"Well, you should be dead, but oh well." Bianca mused. "At least I'll get the full bounty."

Leo walked back through the doorway and Bianca kicked Leo in the face. He fell to the ground and she went back to Chris and Meredith.

"Come on." Bianca said. "We're going home."

She put a hand on Chris's chest and put her hand on Meredith's shoulder, shimmering them all out.

A/N: Here you go! Let me know what you think. I put a poll on my profile and now you all need to go take it. Go on. Go. Now!

Abbey


	17. ChrisCrossed 4

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, maybe we wouldn't have had to suffer through Season 8, even if it did bring Adult Chris and Wyatt back to us in the end.

Ch. 17:

Clothes were strewn all around as Greg and Piper lay on top of the fire engine, kissing.

"Wait." Greg said, pulling away. "Hold it."

"Why?" Piper asked.

"Because I just want to make sure that you're sure about this." He told her.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Am I not acting sure?"

"Yeah, it's just that…well, you've been a little reluctant until now," he said, "and I guess I'm just curious why the change?"

"Um…who knows?" Piper said. "Who cares? All I know is I want…"

She broke off as she heard the sound of orbs and saw Leo hovering between two vehicles.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, quickly freezing Greg. "What-what—are you out of your mind? What are you? A peeping Elder now?"

Leo didn't say anything, he just threw a vial at Piper's feet. It broke and Pier was covered in a blue-white glow as the spell broke.

"What's going on?" Piper asked, looking around, confused. "What am I doing here? Um…what are _you_ doing here?"

"Counteracting a spell that Bianca apparently cast on you." Leo replied.

"What kind of spell?" Piper demanded.

"One that lowers your inhibitions." Leo told her.

Piper turned and looked at the naked Greg under the blanket before turning back to Leo, her cheeks burning.

"Oh-h-h-h, boy!" she sputtered.

"Yeah." Leo said, smirking. "Yeah."

"Well, so did she get Chris?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, and Meredith." Leo replied. "But I'm hoping that if we can break the spell on Phoebe and Paige, we might be able to get them back, so…"

"Right." Piper said. "Uh-huh. Okay, so let's go."

Leo glanced at Piper, his eyes wide with amusement and humor. Piper pointed to him, motioning for him to turn around.

"Um…you need to around, 'cause you don't get to see anymore." She told him.

He chuckled and complied as Piper quickly began to get dressed.

* * *

Piper and Leo orbed in to find Paige and Richard quite…occupied.

"Hi." Piper said brightly. "How's it going?"

"What are you doing here?" Paige demanded.

"Moving you back home." Piper replied, grabbing a piece of clothing and throwing to her, before turning to Leo. "Hit her."

Leo threw the potion at the headboard and it broke, causing the same blue-white glow appeared on Paige as the spell broke.

"No time to explain." Piper told the confused Paige. "Come on. We gotta get Phoebe, or we're never gonna get Chris and Meredith."

Piper tossed Paige her bra.

* * *

Back at her mother's condo, Bianca worked on Chris as Meredith lay sprawled on the floor, still unconscious.

"Just let me finish what I started." Bianca said quietly. "You'll feel better soon. I promise." Chris lay still as Bianca fished around in his chest. "That's it. Easy does it."

As she removed her hand, the wound sealed and Chris's eyes opened.

"Slow breaths." Bianca instructed.

"What'd you do to me?" he demanded.

"I just saved your life." Bianca replied.

"By taking away my powers?" Chris demanded.

Instead of answering, Bianca picked up the piece of chalk and walked over to the wall, removing a picture.

Chris sat up and spotted Meredith on the floor. He quickly got up and moved to her side.

"What did you do to her?" he seethed.

"She's just unconscious." Bianca replied. "She'll wake up with a bad headache just in time to face him."

"How are you gonna bring us back anyway?" Chris asked. "That spell's a one-way door. It only goes backwards in time. Even Mer hasn't come up with a way back yet."

"I'm sure you're not putting Meredith at the same level as him." Bianca scoffed as she started drawing the triquetra on the wall. "He created a new spell because of you. One that works both ways."

"I'm touched." Chris said.

"You should be." Bianca replied. "He's gone to a lot of trouble to get you back. He wants you even more than he wants her."

"Then leave her here." Chris pleaded.

"I can't do that." Bianca replied.

"Please Bianca." Chris said softly. "Please, I'm begging you. Just let her go. She doesn't deserve what he'll do to her."

"How can you say that?" Bianca demanded, turning to face him. "How can you keep defending her? She left you when things got tough, and she did the same to him? How is she anything more than a whore who changes sides when it suits her needs?"

"Don't talk about her like that." Chris growled at her. "Don't you dare. You have no idea what happened. Meredith did what she had to."

Bianca stared at him for a moment before turning back around.

"It doesn't matter." She said softly. "This is really for the best."

"Oh, really?" Chris asked, moving Meredith so she was lying more comfortably and brushing her hair back gently. "How's that?"

"Because this is your only chance to live." Bianca told him. "If I fail, he'll just keep sending more assassins back, and all they'll have to bring home is a body."

"Doesn't matter." Chris replied, digging into his pocket. "There's nothing left in the future anymore anyway."

He tossed the engagement ring onto the table before returning his attention to Meredith.

Bianca stared at the ring for a moment before returning to the triquetra.

* * *

_Bianca finished drawing the triquetra on the attic wall and turned to see Chris stand as he slipped the piece of paper into his pocket._

"_What was that?" she asked him._

"_Just a memory." Chris replied. "You ready?"_

"_It's time." Bianca said, nodding._

_Chris looked at her and walked straight to her._

"_I don't want to go." Chris told her softly. "I don't want to leave you."_

_Bianca hesitated for a moment before removing her ring and placing it firmly in the middle of Chris's palm._

"_Here." she said, folding his fingers over the ring. "This'll remind you of why we're doing this, of what's waiting for you here."_

_They moved towards each other and Bianca wrapped her arm around his waist as he held her, their eyes shut tight._

"_You just make sure you take care of the guards, okay?" Chris told her, pulling away a little bit. "Then get out of here. Because if he finds you, if he know you betrayed him…he'll kill you."_

"_Don't worry." Bianca assured him. "Come on. I can take care of myself."_

_He nodded and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. After a moment, he moved away and stood in front of the holographic Book. He exhaled and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket._

"_I call upon the ancient power to help us in this darkest hour." He chanted. "Let the Book return to this place, claim refuge in its rightful space."_

_They both held their breath as they waited. Finally, the real Book fell into its place on the stand._

"_It worked." Chris marveled._

"_The spell!" Bianca urged. "Find the spell."_

_Chris opened the Book, frantically searching for the proper spell._

"_Hear these words, hear the rhyme.  
Heed the hope within my mind.  
Send me back to where I'll find  
What I wish in place and time."_

_Chris and Bianca's eyes met for a moment before the triquetra flashed and glowed as the time portal opened. Chris looked at her one last time before walking to the portal. He was about to cross the threshold, when he turned back to see a demon shimmer in behind Bianca, grabbing her._

"_Bianca!" he yelled._

_Bianca grabbed the demon's arm and turned, twisting him around. She kicked the demon and knocked him down before turning back to Chris._

"_GO!" she yelled at him. "Go!"_

_The demon knocked Bianca to the ground and then stood to stomp her, but she pulled him back down. Chris took one last look before walking through the portal, leaving everything and everyone behind._

_The portal closed behind him._

* * *

"You really expect me to jump into this thing like before?" Chris asked.

"Not without a fight, no." Bianca replied.

Chris sighed and walked away from her, walking towards the window. Finally, he turned around and looked at Bianca accusingly.

"How can you be so cold?" he demanded. "How can you just stand there and pretend like we never meant anything to each other?"

"I don't have a choice." Bianca replied.

"Bianca…" he said softly. "Please don't do this. Don't give up on everything that we fought for."

"I'm not." Bianca replied softly, her cold demeanor slipping. "I'm just hoping we can find another way."

"Please Bianca." Chris said softly. "Please, just leave Meredith behind. Just tell him she died when you stabbed her. Please, I'll come quietly, just leave her here."

Bianca stared at him for a moment but was distracted by the Charmed Ones orbing in.

"Hey!" Piper called. "Future girl."

Bianca turned as Piper threw a vial at her. An athame appeared in her hand and she threw at Piper, shimmering away at the same moment. The athame shattered the vial and continued on the way to Piper.

Piper quickly froze it in mid-air, but Bianca shimmered in right in front of Piper, grabbing the athame and holding it to the woman's neck.

"Oh!" Piper exclaimed in surprise.

"You were saying?" Bianca said.

"Wow." Phoebe said, impressed. "She is good."

Paige took a step forward, but Piper stopped her.

"Ah ah!" she warned.

"I can kill her in half the time it takes you to even think about it." Bianca told Paige.

"Yeah, well, we still have enough potion to vanquish you." Paige replied.

"Maybe." Bianca admitted. "But then you really will have to hope the Power of Two will do, won't you, Paige? Oh, you'd be surprised what's in the history books. Now, put the vials down slowly."

Paige and Phoebe put the vials down on the floor.

"Bianca, don't." Chris pleaded. "I told you I'd go with you, just let them take Meredith and go."

"Chris, what are you doing?" Paige asked. "Is Meredith alright?"

"She's unconscious and probably has a concussion." Chris told her before refocusing on Bianca. "If you kill her, there won't be a future for either one of us to go back to, and you know it."

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe demanded.

"You'll see if you live long enough." Bianca replied.

She let Piper go and stepped back towards the wall.

"Piper, freeze them." Paige called.

Piper froze the room and Bianca turned around as Chris looked at her.

"Aah!" Piper exclaimed. "Okay, I get why she didn't freeze, but why didn't he freeze?"

"Un-unless he's-he's a-" Phoebe sputtered.

"I'm a witch, too?" Chris finished for her.

Paige's jaw dropped.

"That's right." Chris continued. "Part witch, part whitelighter. Just like you, Paige."

"You lied to us?" Paige asked.

"I had to." Chris replied. "It was the only way I could get you to trust me."

"Trust you?" Phoebe demanded.

"Never mind." Chris said, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"So that's it?" Piper asked. "You're just gonna leave?"

"I don't have a choice." Chris replied. "She stripped my powers. And if I go quietly, Meredith gets to stay."

Piper didn't stay at anything and he just looked at her.

"Looks like Leo's gonna have to fix that floorboard without me." He said softly. "Tell Mer…tell her she's in my prayers, even if they go unanswered."

The sisters stared at him as he turned back to Bianca.

"Let's go." He said.

With a wave of her hand, the portal opened. They turned to walked through the portal and Chris took her hand before turning to look at the sisters one last time before walking though the portal.

"Paige." Piper said softly.

The sisters walked over to Meredith and Paige bent down to touch her before orbing her and her sisters away.

* * *

Chris and Bianca walked out of the portal into the attic to be greeted by a half dozen demons waiting for them.

"Welcome home, Chris." A voice said.

The demons stepped away to reveal a young man standing in the shadows. He stepped forward into the light, radiating cold, confidence, and power.

"Hello, Wyatt." Chris replied.

A/N: So there you go. Let me know what you thought and make sure you go and take the poll!

Abbey


	18. ChrisCrossed 5

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, would I be writing this? Please people.

Ch. 18:

Phoebe and Paige stood in front of the Book, flipping the pages, while Piper stood next to the couch as Leo healed Meredith.

"Ow." She moaned as she came round, before sitting straight up. "Chris!"

"He's gone." Piper told her. "Bianca took him. We only got you because he offered to go quietly if she left you alone."

"You have to get him back!" Meredith said, swinging her legs down on to the floor. "He'll kill him."

"We're trying, but we can't find a spell." Paige told her.

"Bianca did it!" Meredith protested. "If she can do it, surely the Charmed Ones can!"

"How could she do it?" Paige asked. "We don't know how."

"How did we do it five years ago?" Piper asked Leo.

"The Elders made that happen, remember?" he replied.

"Well, you're an Elder." Meredith told him. "Make it happen."

"That was a unique situation." Leo replied.

"And this isn't?" Meredith demanded.

"Hey, I don't like this either." He said, pacing. "Don't you think I want to save him, too?"

Meredith watched him pace, the floorboards squeaking with each pass.

"I don't know if I want to save him or kick his ass." Phoebe muttered.

"It still doesn't change all the good he's done." Leo told her.

"Hmm." Paige mused. "You're certainly singing a different tune. You've come along way, baby."

"Okay, despite all his secrets, I still believe that he came back to protect Wyatt," Leo protested, "and that is enough for me to want to save him."

He continued to pace and the floorboard continued to squeak.

"The question is: How?" Piper asked.

Leo continued pacing and Meredith stood up.

"Did he say anything?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Chris, did he say anything before he left?" Meredith asked.

"He said we should tell you…" Phoebe trailed off. "He said to tell you that you would be in his prayers."

"Even if they were unanswered?" Meredith finished.

"Yeah." Paige said. "How did you know that?"

Meredith walked over to where Leo was standing and shooed him out of the way.

"When Chris and I were kids, we would hide notes for each other." Meredith said, pulling back the rug and squatting down. "We were kids and we liked the idea of keeping a secret that was just ours. Well, when we were about five or so, we found a lose floor board in the attic and began hiding notes for each other there. We did this well into our teens, and after everything went to hell, I hid one last note for him. I told him I was sorry and that he would always be in my prayers, even if they were unanswered. He must have found it when he came back to the past." She pulled up the floorboard, revealing a cubby. "Voila." She said.

"That's what he meant." Phoebe said.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"He said you would have to fix the floorboard without him." Paige said.

"Maybe that's where she was taking him." Piper added. "To the attic in the future."

"It probably is." Meredith told them. "If that's where they came from, that's probably where she took him back to."

"But that would still be there in the future, wouldn't it?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, unless we fixed it." Paige answered.

"Or _used _it to send him something…" Piper suggested. "Something that he needed."

"Like what?" Phoebe asked.

"His powers." Paige realized.

"Got you." Meredith whispered.

* * *

Wyatt walked across the attic, the floorboard squeaking as he went.

"They're no threat to me." Wyatt said, dismissing his demons.

The demons shimmered away and Wyatt focused on Chris.

"Et tu, Chris?" he asked. "And speaking of betrayers, where is our lovely Meredith? Did the whore of San Francisco run when things got tough again?"

"She's dead." Chris said, glaring.

Wyatt froze before turning to Bianca.

"Is this true?" he demanded. "Where's her body?"

"I stabbed her, but he orbed her body away." Bianca answered, not hesitating. "When I found him again, I didn't have time to go searching for a lost body. I barely got him away from the sisters."

"How do you know she's dead then?" Wyatt demanded.

"Because she was dead before he orbed her out." Bianca assured him.

"Are you happy?" Chris demanded. "Your wife, the woman we grew up with, the mother of your daughter, is dead, and by your order. Are you satisfied?"

"Of all the people to betray me, I never thought it would be either of you." Wyatt told him. "You know as well as I do, Jenny was never my daughter. She was yours, wasn't she?"

Bianca stared at Chris, but he didn't say a word.

"So I repeat." Wyatt said. "Of all the people to betray me."

"We didn't betray you." Chris said. "We didn't go back to betray you. I-We went back to save you."

"Save me?" Wyatt repeated mockingly. "Ha. From what?"

"From whatever evil it was that turned you." Chris told him.

"That's always been your problem, Chris." Wyatt said. "Stuck in the old good-versus-evil morass. I'm so past that. It's all about power. It's a simple as that."

"And whoever has the most power wins." Chris finished. "Is that it?"

"That's it." Wyatt agreed. "That's why I keep this museum intact. To remind everyone the power from which I was born and that which I possess."

"Too bad the rest of the city isn't faring as well as your little shrine here." Chris told him as Wyatt took a step towards him.

"You know, if anyone else tried what you tried, I'd kill them on the spot." Wyatt told him. "I've forgiven Bianca. I can forgive you, too, if you promise never to cross me again."

"You just admitted to knowing that Jenny was my daughter when you killed her." Chris told him. "What makes you think I would ever come back to you?"

"I thought you said you could talk some sense into him." Wyatt told Bianca.

"Leave her out of this." Chris told him.

Wyatt raised his hand and made a fist, cutting off Chris's air supply. Bianca gasped, glaring at Wyatt as Chris sank to his knees, both his hand clutching his throat as he gasped for air.

"Pardon me?" Wyatt said neutrally.

With a slice of his hand, Wyatt threw Chris aside and into the wall.

"Chris!" Bianca yelled as he hit a cabinet, breaking it.

* * *

"Hurry!" Phoebe urged Paige. "Hurry! Hurry!"

"I'm trying." Paige replied, working on the spell. "I'm trying. Here."

She ripped off the paper and handed it to her sister.

"Okay." Phoebe said, rolling it up. "Here you go."

"Wait." Meredith said, walking over.

She took the paper and quickly wrote something on the bottom, before rolling it back up. She handed it to Piper, who put a rubber band around it. Leo lifted the floorboard and she tossed it inside.

"Got it." Leo said.

"Quick." Piper replied. "Put it back."

Leo snapped the floorboard back into place and covered it with the carpet. Piper looked over to see Meredith staring at the floor, her arms wrapped around herself. She sighed and walked over to the younger woman, wrapping an arm around Meredith. Meredith looked at her for a moment before leaning her head on Piper's shoulder and refocusing on the floor, waiting for Chris.

* * *

Chris crashed into a table as Wyatt threw him around.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" Bianca said angrily.

"And you promised you'd turn him, just like I turned you." Wyatt shot back. "At least, I thought I had."

Bianca ran to Chris, falling to her knees at his side.

"Chris…please." She whispered. "I didn't bring you here to die."

"Don't worry." He told her softly. "I know what I'm doing."

He looked at Wyatt and the floorboards he stood on. As he shifted his weight, they creaked under his feet.

"I think." Chris added.

He got to his feet and tackled Wyatt with a yell, but Wyatt easily tossed him aside.

"Have you lost your mind?" he demanded, raising his hand and lifting Chris of the floor and towards the ceiling, choking him. "I don't…need you."

As he powered up an energy ball, Bianca surged to her feet and jammed her fist into his back. It sank deep into him and he froze, releasing his hold on Chris, who fell to the floor with a crash.

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast." Bianca told Chris, gasping. "I can't hold him for long."

Chris quickly scrambled to the loose floorboard, pushing the rug aside to lift it up. Inside, covered in dirt and dust, was the spell.

"Power of the witches rise,  
come to me from across the skies.  
Return my magic, give me back  
all that was taken from the attack!"

As he felt his powers return, he read the note at the bottom.

_Sometimes our prayers are answered. You and Bianca come home safe._

Chris took a deep breath and got to his feet.

At this moment, Wyatt broke free, kicking Bianca across the room. Chris watched in horror as she landed on a piece of broken table and was impaled.

"No!" he yelled, lashing out at Wyatt.

The force sent Wyatt crashing into the wall. He fell to the floor, out cold.

Bianca took short breaths as Chris rushed to her side.

"Bianca!" he cried. "No. No. No. No."

"Haven't we been here before?" she asked him, smiling painfully.

"Maybe we will be again." He told her sadly.

"I doubt it." She said softly. "Everyone could see that you and Meredith were meant to be together. Everyone that is, but you two."

Chris cried helplessly and rested his forehead on her shoulder. Bianca reached for his hand and put something in it. He looked to see that it was her engagement ring.

"If you can finish what we started…" she said. "Don't let her go again…"

Behind them, they heard Wyatt begin to stir.

"Hurry." Bianca told him as he glanced back to see Wyatt moving. "Take the spell so he can't send anyone else. Keep her and yourself safe."

Chris stared at her.

"Go!" she urged.

Chris ran to the Book as Wyatt raised his head.

"Hear these words." Chris began as Wyatt slowly got up. "Hear the rhyme."

Wyatt pulled his hand back and powered up an energy ball.

"Heed the hope within my mind." Chris continued.

Wyatt hurled the ball at him and Chris quickly ducked to the side, just barely avoiding the blast.

"Send me back to where I'll find what I wish in place and time." Chris finished.

The triquetra glowed and portal opened as Wyatt got to his feet. Chris grabbed the spell and ripped it out of the book before diving through the portal.

"No!" Wyatt screamed.

He threw another energy ball, but it was too late. The portal closed and the blast hit the wall instead.

Chris was gone.

* * *

The attic wall flashed and Chris flew out of the portal.

"Whoa!" Piper exclaimed as he landed hard on the floor behind Leo.

"Chris!" Meredith called, running to his side.

"Ow." He moaned.

"Oh, my god." Paige said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Chris said, his voice muffled by the floor. "I'm fine."

Meredith helped him to his feet as the others walked over, but he pulled away. She looked at him sadly for a moment before moving away.

"Nice spell." Chris told them.

"But we just put it in there, like two seconds ago." Phoebe protested.

"Well, you see, the way time travel works-" Leo started, but Phoebe interrupted him.

"Yeah, I don't wanna know." She said. "I already have a little headache, thanks."

"You have some serious explaining to do, young man." Piper told Chris. "You both do."

"I know." Chris replied. "Listen, I'm sorry I lied to you. I really am, but-"

"No!" Piper interrupted. "No 'buts'. It's about time you tell us the truth. Now."

"We can't." Meredith told her. "But it's not because we don't want to. We would like nothing more than to tell you everything, but we can't risk it. Not without changing the future too much."

"Um, isn't that the whole point?" Paige asked. "To come and change the future?"

"Yeah, but that was supposed to be more like a surgical strike." Chris replied.

"To save Wyatt." Leo said.

"To save Wyatt." Chris agreed, nodding.

"What about Bianca?" Phoebe asked.

Chris sighed sadly.

"Bianca won't be a threat to anyone anymore." He said softly.

Meredith looked away, quickly wiping her eye.

"I'm sorry." Phoebe told him.

"Me, too." Chris said, nodding.

He looked at them all, his eyes landing on Meredith last. He sighed and reached over and gently took her hand. She looked up in surprise, but finally squeezed his hand, which he returned.

"So you guys still alright with us hanging around here?" he asked the others.

Leo looked at the girls before answering for them all.

"Absolutely." He told Chris and Meredith.

The two young people smiled in relief.

"But the next time you're in trouble, you've got to tell us." Leo continued. "Trust works both ways."

"Okay." Chris said, nodding.

He squeezed Meredith's hand one last time before walking out of the attic. Meredith watched him go before smiling at the sisters and melting into the shadows.

* * *

Chris walked past Wyatt's bedroom to see the boy in his playpen He leaned on the door frame and stared at the young child.

"If I can't save you, I swear to god I'll stop you." He promised.

He stared at Wyatt for a moment before backing out of the room. When he was gone, Meredith stepped out of the shadows and kneeled next to the playpen.

"He means it." She said. "But I promise we'll do all we can to save you. I swear."

She gently kissed the top of his head before melting back into the shadows.

* * *

Piper walked into the dining room to find Phoebe and Paige waiting for her.

"Hey." Paige said.

"Hey." Piper replied.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked.

"Uh, well, I've been thinking." Piper said, sitting between them.

"Uh-oh." Paige groaned. "Does that mean I'm in trouble?"

"I think it's time we make some changes around here." Piper said.

"What kind of changes?" Phoebe asked.

"Like I think you should move to Hong Kong with Jason." Piper told her before turning to Paige. "And you should move in with Richard."

"I never said I wanted that." Paige protested.

"You didn't have to." Piper said, shrugging. "The spell did that for you." She looked at Phoebe. "And you, too."

Paige and Phoebe looked at each other.

"Well, we can't leave you alone." Phoebe told Piper. "We have to stick together."

"No, I know." Piper told her. "Believe me, I know. But you can't keep sacrificing your lives forever. And neither can I. Mom did that. Grams did it, and even Prue, and look what happened to them. It's not a legacy I want us to inherit."

"What if it doesn't work out, us going our separate ways?" Paige asked.

"Well, we'll worry about it then." Piper replied.

"You sure about this?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Piper replied after a beat. "I am."

Phoebe reached out and took Piper's hand. A second later, Paige did the same.

* * *

Meredith knocked on Chris's door at P3. When no response came, she quietly opened the door and entered.

Inside, Chris lay on his bed with his back to her. She softly walked over to him and sat on the bed behind him. When he still didn't say anything, she reached over and took his hand and held it tightly.

After a second, his hand gripped hers and he held on to it for dear life. His shoulders began to shake as he pulled her hand to his chest. She just sat there, stroking his hair with her other hand as he cried for Bianca.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry. No matter what was between me and Bianca, I never wanted this. I would never have wanted you to have this pain. I'm so sorry, Chris."

Chris finally turned over to face her, his cheeks wet with tears. She gently brushed away some of the tears and he pulled her to him, burying his face in her abdomen.

"Shh." She soothed, holding him. "I've got you. I've got you and I won't let go. You're not alone. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

She moved so she was laying next to him, his head on her chest, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I've got you." She whispered.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Let me know and make sure to take the poll!

Abbey


	19. Letting Go and Moving On

Disclaimer: Why can't you people just leave me alone?

Ch. 19:

Meredith woke up the next morning to find Chris gone. She quickly grabbed her shoes and melted into the shadows, stepping out in the kitchen to find Piper working on lunch.

"And where have you been?" she asked Meredith. "It's after noon."

"I was with Chris." Meredith replied, sitting down at the table. "When I woke up, he was gone."

"Meredith…" Piper sighed.

"It wasn't like that." Meredith defend herself. "I just stayed with him. He shouldn't have to go through this by himself. I came back so he wouldn't have to. I'm not going to stay away when he's in pain."

"Is he going to be alright?" Piper asked, sitting down next to her.

"Eventually." Meredith replied. "He loved her, but she choose to do what was right. There was nothing he could've done to save her. He's blameless."

Piper looked at her for a moment before reaching over and taking Meredith's hand.

"You're blameless too." She told the young woman.

"Yeah." Meredith agreed without conviction.

"If I've learned anything in all these years of fighting evil, it's that we can't hold ourselves responsible for what evil does." Piper told her. "It's not your fault that Bianca died, just like it's not your fault your husband killed your daughter."

Meredith hesitated before nodding. She took a deep breath and sat up straighter.

"Right." She said. "So, have you seen him?"

"No." Piper replied. "You're the first one I've seen. Paige and Phoebe are up in their rooms, packing, but you could go ask them."

"You're really going to go through with this?" Meredith asked her. "They're really going to move out?"

"We need to try." Piper told her.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, there is a point in time where you all live separately." Meredith told her. "I can't tell you under what conditions, just that it didn't happen this earlier before. But you'll still have Chris and me, so you won't be doing this alone."

Piper smiled and squeezed her hand before getting back up to deal with lunch.

"So are you going to ask if they've seen him?" she asked Meredith.

"Nah." Meredith replied. "I'll just find him. I just hope he's on Earth or in the underworld. When he goes to Elder-land, I can never find him."

"How can you find him if he's on Earth?" Piper asked.

"You can come watch if you want." Meredith said, getting up.

Piper followed her through the conservatory and out into the garden. Meredith rolled up her jeans and sat down on the ground.

"The perks of being an Elemental." Meredith told her. "As long as I know what I'm looking for, and as long as you're at least touching something that's touching the Earth, I can find you. Chris's signature is something I'm very familiar with, so it's usually pretty easy to find him."

"So it's like the sensing ability that the Whitelighters have." Piper said.

"Kind of, but I'm not limited to my charges." Meredith replied, closing her eyes. "Also I have to be touching the Earth directly to channel the power."

She was silent for a moment before sighing.

"Did you find him?" Piper asked.

"Yeah." Meredith said, brushing her legs off as she stood up.

"Well?" Piper asked. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah." Meredith said, walking back inside. "He's just saying goodbye."

Before Piper could say anything, Meredith was gone into the shadows.

* * *

Chris stood in front of the angel statue in the arboretum. He looked down at the ring in his hand before closing his fist around it.

"I'm sorry, Bianca." He whispered.

He turned around and saw Meredith leaning on a tree a ways away.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Making sure you're okay." She replied. "Here."

She held out her hand and he saw that she was holding a chain.

"I'm fine." He told her. "What's this?"

"I'm sure and it's a chain." Meredith scoffed. "I thought you could use it to carry the ring. So it won't get lost." She sobered. "You know, you'll get another chance. All we have to do is save Wyatt."

"I'm not so sure." Chris said, walking past her.

She turned and caught up to him, walking by his side.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Just something Bianca said." He replied.

"What did Bianca say?" Meredith asked.

"Do you think you and Wyatt will wind up together if we fix the time line?" Chris asked, changing the subject.

"No." Meredith replied, shaking her head.

"Why not?" Chris asked.

"Because I don't think a Wyatt who isn't obsessed with power would be interested in me." She replied. "I mean, he may have acted like he loved me, but a few months of marriage cured me of that notion. He wanted an heir, and I was just the most powerful witch he could find."

"What do you mean marriage 'cured' you of that notion?" Chris asked, stopping her.

"What do you think it means?" she sighed. "You know what he was like in the latter days, when he finally stopped hiding. Do you really think he treated me any better? Especially when he thought he had gotten his precious heir."

"Did he hurt you?" Chris asked softly.

"It didn't matter." Meredith told him, looking down. "As long as he focused on me, I didn't care what he did. As long as Jenny was safe, nothing mattered."

"I'm sorry." Chris said, making her look at him.

"It doesn't matter." She said, taking a deep breath and smiling. "The point is, no, I don't think Wyatt and I will ever actually wind up together. Not if he stays sane."

Chris nodded, smiling.

"So, the sisters are planning a goodbye celebration tonight." Meredith said. "Are you going to come?"

"I don't think so." Chris replied. "I'm gonna just stay in tonight."

"Alright." Meredith said reluctantly. "Well I'm gonna be working the bar tonight, so if you feel like it, come see me."

"Why are you working the bar?" Chris asked.

"Because Piper needs the help." She replied. "And because we grew up in that club, so I can most definitely tend bar with no problem."

"Ah." Chris replied.

"Dork." Meredith said, laughing. "Anyway, I gotta get run if I'm going to be ready for my shift."

"Alright." Chris replied. "See you later."

"See you later." Meredith replied, smiling.

She melted into the shadows and a second later, Chris orbed away.

* * *

"We all good?" Meredith asked as she set drinks in front of the sisters.

"Perfect." Phoebe said, taking a sip.

"How long have you been doing this?" Piper asked.

"Oh…since I was fifteen?" Meredith replied.

"What about the fact that you were a minor?" Piper demanded.

"It was free labor, so we took the view that what the authorities didn't know, didn't hurt them." Meredith said, shrugging.

She broke down laughing at Piper's horrified look.

"I'm just kidding." She said through her laughter. "I watched them mix the drinks growing up. That's how I know how to do it."

"See, that's just mean." Piper told her.

"Hey."

The girls looked over to see Chris standing there.

"Hey!" Meredith said happily. "I thought you were going to stay in tonight."

"I was." Chris said, walking up to the bar. "But then I remembered that I owed you a birthday dance. So, if Piper can spare you for a song, I thought you might dance with me."

Meredith glanced at Piper, who sighed.

"Go." She said.

"Thank you." Meredith said, leaning over the bar to kiss her cheek. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Yeah, yeah." Piper said.

The sisters watched as Chris took Meredith's hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. Meredith laughed as he spun and a smile lit Chris's face.

Piper turned back to her sisters, smiling.

"They're gonna be alright." She said.

A/N: Just a little interlude. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	20. Witchstock 1

Disclaimer: Could I simply borrow it for a day or so? Please?

Ch. 19:

Piper waited patiently in the middle of the sawmill as Chris paced behind her and Meredith sat on the floor, filing her nails.

"She's supposed to be here by now." Chris complained.

"So, she's a little late." Piper replied.

"No, she's a lot late." Chris shot back. "Paige used to be the first one to a vanquish. What's wrong with her?"

"She's in love, Christopher." Meredith said, not looking up from her nails. "Give her a break."

"Not when it interferes with her responsibilities as a Charmed One." Chris replied crossly.

"Why don't you just let me handle this one alone?" Piper asked.

"Because you've handled the last four vanquishes alone." Chris told her.

"Hey!" Meredith protested. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"You're not a Charmed One." Chris sighed.

"No, I'm just the most powerful Elemental ever born." She shot back.

"Can you cast a Power of Three spell?" Chris asked.

"No." Meredith replied grudgingly.

"Then shut up." Chris said.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I thought this didn't need a Power of Three spell." Piper said.

"The point is," Chris continued over her, "You never should've let them move out."

"Hey, you don't see me complaining." Piper said. "I'm happy for them, and you should be, too."

"I am." Meredith said brightly. "I got my old room back. My future room. My future old room." She scrunched up her face. "You know what I mean."

"So, where is this demon, and what's its name?" Piper asked, choosing to ignore Meredith.

"No one knows its name." Chris replied. "And it's too strong for one witch to handle alone."

"Again I ask, am I completely useless?" Meredith groused.

"Don't you have some kind of temporal theory to be working on?" Chris complained.

"But if I was working on that, how would I have time to annoy you?" Meredith asked innocently.

"Are you two going to bicker the whole time?" Piper asked.

"Yes." They both answered at the same time.

The door creaked open and Darryl poked his head in. Behind him, they could hear several impatient workers.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" he asked.

"Go see what Phoebe's doing." Piper ordered Chris.

He sighed and orbed out.

"Finally." Meredith sighed. "He's so cranky when a vanquish doesn't go his way."

"Where'd he go?" Darryl asked as Piper snickered.

"Hong Kong." Piper replied.

"Hong Kong?" Darryl asked, exasperated. "This is the last time I work crowd control for you guys."

Piper waved him away and Darryl left.

"Do you think I should paint my nails?" Meredith asked.

Piper stared at her.

"What?" she asked defensively. "I'm bored. Chris won't let me do anything! Do you know what I did yesterday? I spent the day looking at books by the leading authorities on time travel, only to come to the conclusion that they're all morons. And I played 200 games of solitaire. This is what my life has become. I'm a witch turned into a research assistant. If I don't get to do something soon, I'm going to go insane and I'm bringing you guys with me."

Meredith's rant broke off as Chris orbed back with Phoebe, who was dressed in a beautiful traditional Chinese-style dress. She squealed when she saw Piper.

"Hi." Piper said as Phoebe grabbed her in a hug. "Wow!"

"Oh, how's Wyatt?" Phoebe asked. "I miss him so much."

"He misses you, too." Piper told her.

"I'm starting to feel neglected." Meredith complained, standing up.

"Oh, I miss you too, honey." Phoebe said, hugging her. "Speaking of, do we have an update on mini-you?"

"The New York Social Services are still stonewalling us." Piper replied. "Paige is working on it."

"Well, I want to know the moment we get her." Phoebe ordered.

"You will." Piper assured her. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, this is a great time." Phoebe assured her. "Jason's away at a conference. I was just practicing my origami." She showed it to Piper. "This is a tiger. You can have that."

Piper laughed as she took the folded paper animal.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit." Phoebe told her.

"No!" Piper protested. "No, don't be silly. "You've obviously been really busy folding. I'm sorry I have to ask for your help, but-"

"No." Phoebe interrupted. "It's okay. I mean, if you don't enter the tiger's cave, you may never get the cub, right?"

"Huh?" Meredith asked.

"Ancient Chinese proverb." Phoebe replied. "Means nothing ventured, nothing gained. You know."

"Could we get the show on the road here?" Chris interrupted.

"Sure." Phoebe replied.

"Spoil sport." Meredith muttered.

Chris reached over and slapped her upside the head and she retaliated by elbowing him in the stomach.

"How long have they been like this?" Phoebe asked Piper.

"Oh, 'bout a week." Piper replied.

"Wow, that must be annoying." Phoebe said, grinning.

"A little." Piper agreed.

"Vanquish, now." Chris ordered.

"Keep that." Phoebe said, pointing at the origami.

* * *

Outside, Darryl was trying to calm down an angry foreman.

"Look, when the safety hazard's clear, you can go to work." He told the man. "Just be patient, okay?"

"Yeah." The Foreman replied. "Easy for you to say. I got four mouths to feed."

The other workers made sounds of agreement.

* * *

"Okay, what do you want me to do?" Phoebe asked Chris.

"You're the bait." Chris told her. "All you gotta do is levitate into the air. And when this demon senses your magic, it's gonna come fast and hard."

"And I couldn't do this because…?" Meredith asked.

"Because you were supposed to be at home." Chris shot back.

"And I told you that if I spent one more moment at home, I was going to go stark raving mad." Meredith seethed. "Or do you not remember the last time I was grounded?"

Chris winced.

"Ah, I see you do." Meredith said, smirking. "Now do you want to let me out of the house, or do you want to lose your eyebrows? Again."

"Okay, on with the vanquish." Chris said.

"Okay." Phoebe agreed. "Be careful of my origami. That tiger took two freakin' hours."

"Okay, let's do it." Chris said.

Phoebe backed up and levitated high into the air. Suddenly, the floor began to explode as the creature began its attack. Phoebe watched anxiously until green goo shot out of the ground and latched itself onto Phoebe, encasing her in the goo.

* * *

There was a large explosion and Darryl turned to look at the door as the workers went silent. Finally, the door creaked open and Piper stepped out, green goo all over her white shirt.

"All clear." She said cheerfully, smiling and nodding at the others.

A/N: So let me know what you think! And the poll is still open, so please go take it! Also, we're at 49 reviews. First person to get me to 50 gets a shout out in the next chapter.

Abbey


	21. Witchstock 2

Disclaimer: I don't understand. Of course it's fiction. Why on Earth would that mean it isn't real?

Ch. 21:

Piper stood at the sink, trying to get the goo out of her clothes, as Phoebe stood behind her, wrapping herself in a robe.

"Maybe you should just take me out back and hose me down." Phoebe said as Piper wiped her hands.

"Oh, my god!" Paige exclaimed as she orbed in. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Did I miss the vanquish?"

"Ask her." Piper replied, motioning to Phoebe.

Phoebe put her dress next to the sink and bounded over to her sister.

"Hi." She said excitedly, grabbing Paige in a hug. "Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi."

"Hey!" Paige said, returning the hug. "Oh, my gosh, Phoebe, how are you?"

"Great." Phoebe replied.

"How's Jason?" Paige asked.

"He's great." Phoebe told her. "How's Richard?"

"Ah, he's fabulous." Paige said dreamily as Piper turned around to face. "He was taking his sweet time getting out of the house this morning. That's why I couldn't orb."

"What, you don't orb with him in the house?" Phoebe asked.

"She's asked Richard to not use his magic." Piper told her.

"Yes." Paige agreed. "I'm trying to be supportive and, you know, not use my magic in front of him."

"Wow." Phoebe said. "A magic-free life. You're the last witch in the world I'd expect that from."

"It's not magic-free." Paige protested. "It's just…magic-lite."

"Yeah, it's still a lot to give up." Piper said.

"What I get from him kind of more than makes up for it, I think." Paige said as she sat on the counter.

"Eww." Phoebe complained.

"How's Hong Kong?" Paige asked, changing the subject.

"It's fascinating." Phoebe said happily. "I'm studying numerology and the Chinese zodiac. But you know, 'Distant waters doesn't quench the immediate thirst'."

"Huh?" Paige asked.

"Ancient Chinese proverb." Piper answered.

"It's just that I miss my family." Phoebe clarified.

"Well, that's good, 'cause your family misses you, too." Piper told her. "I mean, I don't have a lot of people to hang out with aside from my baby, who doesn't really say much, a really neurotic whitelighter, and an elemental who's about ready to go out of her mind."

"Yeah, how is my buddy Chris and our future adoptive niece Meredith?" Phoebe asked. "Last time I saw them, they weren't in such good shape."

"Chris is trying his best to hide it, but he's still really shaken up." Piper answered.

"Well, he lost his fiancée, you know, I don't blame him." Phoebe said. "It's huge."

"Yeah, and there's something in the future that's really freaking him out." Paige said. "Him and Meredith."

"Yeah." Piper agreed. "And now he's split his protective obsessions between Wyatt and Meredith, so between the demon hunts every day, and the nearly daily blow ups between him and Meredith, he may actually not be long for this world. If he doesn't let her out of the house soon, Meredith may actually kill him."

"I feel like such a bad sister, leaving you guys alone to handle all this." Phoebe said.

"No." Piper told her. "No, we're fine. For the most part, Chris and Meredith stick to P3 or the attic, so Wyatt and I are enjoying having the manor to ourselves."

"Really?" Paige asked.

"Yeah." Piper assured her. "I mean, we have room to spread out. And life is very quiet and calm, and best of all, everything stays clean."

Phoebe laughed as Piper turned back to the sink, grabbing the clothes, and headed to the utility room.

"Well, if I'm gonna hang out, I better change my clothes." Phoebe said as she slipped off her stool. "I think I left some here."

"I'll go with you." Paige said as Phoebe head for the door.

Piper went to the washing machine and put the clothes in the water. She turned her back to get the soap, a coalesced glob of the green goo slid out of the washer and down its side. It hit the floor and sank into a vent.

* * *

"No, being born under the year of the ox is a good thing." Phoebe was saying as she and Paige walked upstairs. "It' means you're a natural-born lea…" They turned the corner and stopped. "…der. What happened to my room?"

Instead of her room, Phoebe found a completely different room. Looking around, she realized that the room held all of Meredith's stuff now.

"Holy…I guess when Piper said they were gonna spread out, she wasn't kidding." Paige said.

"Well, where's all my stuff?" Phoebe demanded. "Heh. I mean, I have stuff, you know, lots and lots of stuff."

"Well, being an ox, I can take charge of this." Paige told her. "You can borrow something from my room until we straighten this out."

They walked down to Paige's room and opened the door to find a new nursery. Leo was holding Wyatt and sitting in a chair as Meredith sat in another chair, studiedly ignoring Chris, who was leaning on the arm of the chair.

"Oh, hi, baby!" Phoebe said, forgetting about her things as she rushed over to Wyatt.

"This one, too?" Paige asked.

"Yeah." Phoebe told her. "You move, you lose it in this family."

"Yeah, sorry about your room." Meredith told Phoebe. "I missed my room, and well, you didn't live here while I was growing up."

"Yeah, well you could lose a lot more than an bedroom when this is over." Chris said.

"Hi, Chris." Phoebe said sarcastically. "I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

"Oh, he's fine." Meredith said crossly. "Happily making the rest of us miserable."

"It's his job to offer his opinion." Leo rebuked.

"You know the only reason why she's even here is Paige missed the vanquish." Chris told him.

"Another one?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Chris said. "That makes what? Five in a row now?"

"At least she gets to leave the house." Meredith muttered.

"I let you leave the house!" Chris protested.

"Chris, letting me shadow walk to P3 or go out with you as a chaperone doesn't count." Meredith told him.

"He's just trying to keep you safe." Leo told her.

"I've told him, I don't want to be protected." She replied.

"It's not going to stop me from doing it." Chris told her.

"When did you three become so chummy?" Phoebe asked.

"We're not chummy." Leo said. "It's just, they've gone through a lot protecting Wyatt, and I figure instead of doubting them, I…should help him a little."

"So, what do you guys think?" Piper asked as she walked in. "You like Wyatt's new room?"

"I like it." Paige said gruffly. "I just liked my room, too."

"And I like it." Phoebe added. "I just liked my room, too."

"Sorry." Meredith said sheepishly.

"Oh, it's alright, honey." Phoebe said, getting up and wrapping her arm around the girl. "Can someone just tell me where my clothes are?"

* * *

Paige and Phoebe went through the boxes tucked away in the corner of the attic as Piper watched.

"Ah, god…" Paige said, "this really…kind of hitting home."

"What's that?" Piper asked.

"Well, that I don't live here anymore." Paige replied.

"Ugh, I know what you mean." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, Richard's just doesn't feel like home yet, you know?" Paige said. "I don't know. I guess I just had more fun here."

"Yeah." Piper said, smirking. "'Cause this place is a riot."

"YOU STUPID OVER PROTECTIVE MORON!" they heard Meredith scream from the other room.

"Ah, and so today's fight starts." Piper said.

Meredith came stomping in and threw herself into a chair.

"If I kill him, would that be a problem?" she seethed.

"Well, it seems like that would be counterproductive." Piper replied.

"Right." Meredith said. "What if I just seriously maim?"

"What did he do?" Paige asked.

"I wanted to go track down a demon that specializes in time travel." Meredith said. "He threw a conniption fit!"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but, which demon were you looking for?" Piper asked.

"Tempus." She replied.

"Uh, didn't we vanquish him?" Phoebe asked.

"He was seriously injured by resetting time when Prue died, so he's basically in a coma, but I was hoping I could find him." Meredith replied. "My next try was going to be Clyde, but he mainly deals with the past, so he's not as helpful. But since he can move people to the past and back to the present, he might know something that could help. I just thought finding Tempus might be easier since he can't actively fight me."

"So what's the problem?" Paige asked.

"Mr. Over-Protective in there won't let me out without a guard." Meredith grumbled.

"How can he even stop you?" Piper asked. "Can't you just shadow walk out of here?"

"Unfortunately, he has access to a spell that you guys developed to keep me in the house when I was grounded." Meredith said. "He's capable of keeping me trapped in here indefinitely."

"Can't you write a counter spell?" Phoebe asked.

"I haven't been able to so far." Meredith said, sinking further into the chair. "Right now I'm biding my time. Eventually he has to sleep, then I'll get my revenge."

"Okay." Phoebe said slowly as Piper sat down next to her to look through the boxes. "That's slightly frightening."

"Oh, wow, Phoebe." Piper said. "These are some boots."

She pulled a pair of bright red go-go boots.

"No." Phoebe said, looking at them. "They're not mine, but I wish they were 'cause they're hot!"

"The box says 'Penny'." Paige said, looking at the side of the box. "Penny as in 'Grams', Penny?"

"No way." Phoebe protested. "I refuse to believe that Grams ever wore anything this hot."

"Yeah." Piper agreed. "I figured her more for steel-toed orthopedics. You know, the better to kick you ass with."

"They're your size, Paige." Phoebe said, holding the boots out to her. "Try 'em on."

"I don't know." Paige groaned.

"Oh, come on, Aunt Paige." Meredith said, chuckling. "Live a little."

"They're kind of sixties." Paige said, removing her shoes.

"So, what's wrong with the sixties?" Phoebe asked.

"The sixties was like the worst fashion era." Paige complained as she slipped on the first boot and zipped it up. "Hello? Bad clothing…bad hair, and extremely questionable personal hygiene."

"Oh, come on." Meredith told her. "You don't like bell bottoms, head bands, peace signs…awesome music?"

"Hey, they fit." Paige said, surprised, as she put her other foot on the ground.

With a magical poof, she disappeared.

"Hey." Phoebe said, turning to Piper. "Where'd she go?"

"Christopher!" Meredith yelled, running from the room.

* * *

Paige appeared in a bedroom and looked around to find a strawberry-blonde haired woman glowing in front of a mirror.

"Um, pardon me." Paige said.

"Hold on." The woman replied. "I'm adjusting my aura. You know how those blocked chakras can get." The colors around her slowly shifted to match. "There."

She finished and turned to Paige, noticing her boots.

"Oh, you brought my go-go boots." She said happily. "Right on."

"Actually, they brought me." Paige replied.

"That's because I cast a return-to-owner spell on all my favorite stuff." The woman told her. "I'm always taking my clothes off and forgetting them somewhere these days."

"Excuse me." Paige said. "Um, who are you?"

"Penny." The woman replied.

"Penny." Paige repeated, amazed. "As in…Penny Halliwell, Penny?"

"Yeah." Penny replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Paige." She told Penny. "I'm your gran-" Paige stopped herself. "I'm your grandest fan. I heard so much about you."

"Far out." Penny said, smiling.

"Far out." Paige agreed as she turned to look at the calendar on the wall, which read January…1967. "You have no idea how far out."

A blonde woman poked her head into the room.

"The whitelighters are putting on a light show." She told Penny.

"Oh, come on, Paige." Penny said, grabbing Paige's hand. "You don't want to miss this."

She stepped out of the room, pulling Paige along.

* * *

"What do you mean you lost Paige?" Chris demanded.

"Well, it was really weird." Phoebe said. "I mean, one second she was here, and the next second, poof."

"It kind of happened after she put on a pair of Grams' boots." Piper added.

"Grams used to cast spells on her clothes when she was young." Leo said.

"Wait, you knew Grams when she was young?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Leo told her. "We crossed paths once or twice when I was a young whitelighter."

"Eww!" Piper said, scrunching up her face.

"Well, I barely remember it." Leo said, obviously embarrassed.

"Huh." Piper replied.

Phoebe and Meredith looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Leo.

"Eww." They both said at the same time, making Piper laugh.

"Well, if the boots did belong to your grandmother, then we better summon her from the dead." Chris said. "Maybe she can tell us what happened to Paige."

"Okay." Phoebe agreed. "Let's get the candles."

"But you-" Piper said, looking at Leo, but Phoebe grabbed her and tugged her away.

* * *

"Outta sight!" Penny said as she and Paige stood in the stairway.

In the sitting room, a group of witches watched as a group of whitelighters cast orbs above their heads in different patterns, the first being a peace sign.

"I'm Robin, by the way." The blonde told Paige. "So what do you think?"

The whitelighters shifted the pattern into a heart and Paige got a good look at one of the whitelighters.

"Oh, my god!" she exclaimed. "Is that Leo?"

"You know him?" Penny asked.

"I thought I did." She replied.

The whitelighters shifted the pattern again and the heart became an infinity symbol before the orbs burst into a shower of white light that rained down on the audience's heads, who burst into applause.

"What are all these people doing here?" Paige asked as she, Penny, and Robin made their way towards the group.

"Oh, they're not just people." Robin told her. "They're witches. With a few whitelighters thrown in."

"I don't suppose any of them know how to open a time portal, do they?" Paige asked.

"Anything's possible when you free your mind." Penny replied as they passed a magicked brush pained designs on a witch in a bikini. "It's why we're gathering here tonight, for a magical Be-In."

"Oh, like a human be-in." Paige said. "When Timothy Leary said, 'Tune in, turn on, drop out'."

"No, there's no acid allowed in the manor, Paige." Penny told her seriously as she walked towards the whitelighters. "We're all on a contact high."

"I'm not on drugs." Paige said as she and Robin followed Penny. "I'm just having a bad trip."

"How do you know what's gonna happen at the human be-in?" Robin asked. "It's tomorrow at Golden Gate Park."

"I just kind of know things." Paige replied. "Like I know I wanna go home."

"Do you have an active power?" Penny asked.

"Yeah." Paige replied. "I can orb."

"Groovy." Penny told her happily. "Hey, everyone! We have a witch here who can orb!"

This caught Leo's attention and he made his way over.

"Right on." He said. "Lay some orbs on us, sister."

"Fine, if it'll help me get out of here." Paige agreed.

She looked around the room and saw a stack of 8-track tapes next to a player.

"Uh, big fat tape thingy." She called, but nothing happened. "Oh. My powers must be down. Must be the past." She quickly covered. "Past few minutes. This patchouli oil. It's really making me light-headed."

"Performance anxiety." Leo said, moving to wrap his arm around Paige. "Listen, if you want some private coaching, there's an empty room upstairs. You dig?"

"Aah." Paige said, weirded out. "No, I don't dig."

She removed his arm from her and pushed him away. He smiled and moved on to the next witch.

"You okay, honey?" Penny said, glaring after Leo.

"Yeah." Paige said. "Ugh, I don't know how I'm gonna get home without my magic."

"Oh, come on." Penny said as a guitar began to play.

She turned Paige around and they saw that a witch was sitting on a floating cushion as she played in the center of the room.

"Wow!" Paige marveled. "I've never seen so many witched just hanging out."

"Wait till the magical be-in." Penny told her. "This house was built on a spiritual nexus. We're gonna tap into its power tonight and ride the magic wave."

"Are you sure you're Penny Halliwell?" Paige asked, glancing at her.

Suddenly, the whole room froze and a warlock appeared next to Robin, who was the only one still moving.

"Everything on schedule for tonight?" he asked her.

"They're lining up like lambs to the slaughter." She confirmed.

"Ah, it's gonna be a massacre." The warlock said, inhaling deeply.

"Mm, I wish we could take 'em out now." Robin complained. "I can't stand these peace lovers."

"Just keep it together a little while longer." He told her. "We want this place packed." He turned and saw Paige. "And I see a few new arrivals since my last visit. This one's dressed a little strange, don't you think? Where's she from?"

"I don't know." Robin replied. "She just got here."

"Well, keep an eye on her." He ordered. "The attack takes place on schedule tonight. And if you need anything, I'll be close by."

The warlock left and time resumed.

"So, what do you say, Paige?" Penny asked, not noticing the time stop. "Join us tonight?"

"You know, as much as I consider myself a free spirit, I really can't." Paige said, sighing. "If there's any way that you could help me write a spell so I can find my way-"

Outside, a car horn beeped loudly and Paige broke off as Penny gasped and smiled brightly.

"Oh, Allen's back!" she said, rushing out of the house.

The man, Allen, hurried out of a VW bus and ran up the front steps, straight towards Penny.

"Hi!" Penny called, laughing.

"Oh…mm…" Allen murmured as Penny jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissed him soundly.

"Where's Patty?" she asked as he set her down.

"I dropped her off at my sister's." Allen told her. "She's gonna crash there tonight."

"Patty, like 'mom' Patty?" Paige asked, having to quickly cover again. "I mean, you're a mom."

Penny laughed as Allen stared at Paige.

"Janice?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Paige asked.

"I just came back from my sister's pad, and for a second, I thought I was looking at her again." Allen told her.

"Paige, this is my old man Allen." Penny told her. "He's not a witch, but he's cool with it."

"Allen…your first husband?" Paige asked, surprised.

"My first and only." Penny said, laughing slightly. "I'm not that into free love."

"Listen up." Allen said. "I passed this groovy drum circle on my way here. Who wants to check it out?"

"Count me in." Penny said.

"I think I'm gonna do some light reading." Paige said. "Is your Book of Shadows in the attic?"

"I swear, it's like you could be my sister." Allen said, still staring at her.

"Or your granddaughter, if you had a granddaughter, that is-" Paige said, muttering, "which you won't, unless I get home."

"You can't leave now." Robin said. "We need as many witches as possible tonight."

"She's right, Paige." Penny said. "Come with us. Who wants a ride in the Rainbow Bus?"

A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys! Holidays are such a hectic time. Anyway, shereelouise60 gets a shout out for being the 50th reviewer, and FishluvsJasperCullen gets one for being the 60th. Congragulations, guys! So, for the next chapter, same deal, first to 70 gets a shout out! Let me know what you guys think!

Abbey


	22. Witchstock 3

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, I would be a much happier person.

Ch. 22:

Phoebe lit the candles while Chris, Meredith, and Leo leaned against a table, and Piper moped.

"You know, if I hadn't taken over Paige's room, this never would've happened." She said. "This is all my fault."

"What's done is done." Leo and Chris said at the same time.

They both froze and stared at each other as Phoebe laughed.

"Okay, you two really need to get a room." She said.

"Yeah, 'cause that was creepy." Meredith added.

Chris knocked her with his shoulder and she stuck her tongue out at him. Phoebe watched with interest as Meredith reached over and wrapped her middle finger around his.

"Yeah." Piper drawled, glancing at Phoebe as she also noticed Meredith's motion.

Phoebe smirked and straightened as she finished.

"Here these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side." She chanted.

Chris squeezed Meredith's finger before pulling away and moving away from the table.

"Come to thee, I summon thee," Phoebe continued, "cross now the great divide."

Lights began to swirl inside the circle.

Outside the circle, a glob of green goo attached to Chris's foot began to grow and move him against his will.

Grams materialized in the circle and stepped out, becoming corporeal.

"Well, it's about time you called to say hello." She said. "Oh, how are my darlings?"

Phoebe held out her arms for a hug, not noticing Chris struggling behind her.

"We got a problem." Piper said.

"Well, you're not the only one." Grams said, looking at Chris, who's legs were encased.

"Chris!" Meredith shouted, raising her hand to blast the goo.

"No!" Chris told her quickly.

"Orb out!" Leo ordered.

"No." Chris said. "Magic makes it grow. Summoning her spirit already gave it power."

"Oh, you must be Chris, the new whitelighter." Grams said, stepping forward before looking at Leo. "You know, he doesn't look very qualified for the job."

"Chris, just let me electrocute it." Meredith said.

"And let it latch on to you?" he shot back. "I don't think so."

"Of all the…" Meredith grumbled. "Forget electrocuting it, I'm just going to electrocute you."

"Meredith." Phoebe warned. "Chris, she's right. Orb!"

Chris shook his head.

"Fine, you won't let me?" Meredith growled. "Piper can blast the damn thing, just orb, damn you!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, listen to them." Grams told him. "We'll find a way to vanquish the foul thing later."

Chris sighed and orbed just as the goo encased him completely. The moment he was out, Piper blasted the goo and it shattered. Chris reformed a second later, gasping for breath, and Meredith ran to his side, wrapping her arm around him and letting him lean on her. They watched as the goo sank into the floor.

"Uh-oh." Phoebe muttered.

Chris shook his head before leaning it on Meredith's shoulder with a sigh.

* * *

"You and Paige moved out?" Grams demanded. "When?"

She sat on a chair across from Piper and Phoebe.

"Uh, uh, a few weeks ago." Phoebe told her. "But we're handling everything."

"Dear, you have Paige stuck in the past and demonic blob roaming the manor." Grams said. "Exactly how are you handling things?"

"We're still in an adjustment period." Piper defended.

"There would be no adjustment period if you were living under one roof." Grams said, surging to her feet angrily. "Why in heaven's name did you move out?"

"To be with Jason." Phoebe said. "You said it yourself-never give up on love. Remember?"

"I didn't say give up on your sisters, and you-" Grams rounded on Piper. "You're the oldest! How could you let them move out?"

"You know, it really wasn't that hard, 'cause they deserve a shot at a normal life." Piper told her.

"They're not normal, Piper, and neither are you." Grams told her. "When are you going to learn that?"

"Well, I guess never." Piper said, exasperated.

"Uhh!" Grams exclaimed. "All this over men. How many times have I told you men are utensils? You use them, wash them, and throw them in a drawer until you need them again."

Leo, Chris, and Meredith walked into the living room, looking around at the ceiling and walls.

"Shh!" Leo said. "Everyone quiet."

Chris walked over to the wall and put his ear next to it.

"I can hear it." He said softly. "I think it's in the wall."

The wall surged and cracked and Meredith quickly pulled Chris back by the collar of his shirt.

"Yep, it's in the wall." Leo said, sitting down on the arm rest next to Grams.

"Okay, are you guys really attached to, you know…the house?" Meredith asked.

"We're gonna need Paige." Chris said, ignoring her. "It took the Power of Three to vanquish this thing in the future."

"What?" Piper demanded. "If you knew that, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"We can barely get two of you together, let alone three." Meredith told her.

"You were complicated in this?" Phoebe asked.

Meredith shrugged and Chris sighed.

"The point is, that thing's not that big right now, and I thought two could handle it." Chris told them.

"Leo, you take point." Grams said. "Chris here is much too green to guide my girls."

"Hey!" Meredith exclaimed. "Chris is a great whitelighter!"

"Quiet!" Grams told her. "It's time to give this floundering ship a rudder."

"I think I miss Aunt Prue." Meredith muttered to Chris who chuckled.

"Aunt Prue?" Piper asked, shocked.

"You're allowed to talk to her in the future, just not yet." Meredith told her. "Even in death, she's kinda a fanatic."

"Can we get back on point?" Grams asked. "Now, which boots did Paige put on?"

"Red." Piper told her. "Go-go boots."

"We've got a problem." Grams said. "Those boots took Paige back to the Summer of Love, which was one of the most crucial times of my life."

"What do you mean, 'crucial'?" Phoebe asked.

"Your grandfather Allen, rest his soul, was a sweet man, but he led me straight down the hippie-dippie trail." Grams told them.

"You were a flower child?" Phoebe said, laughing.

"Yeah, well, don't rub it in." Grams told her. "What's important is that Allen was killed by my best friend. I didn't know it then, by she was evil, and I walked in right after it happened."

"What did you do?" Piper asked.

"Well, let's just say that my peacenik days ended fast, along with that bitch Robin." Grams replied. "Why, if she hadn't killed Allen-"

"You'd still be a flower child." Leo finished.

"And the Charmed Ones would be dead." Grams added. "I know I'm a ball buster, but it kept me alive to protect my girls from all the demons that came after them as kids. Now, I cast my return to owner spell on a lot of clothes that summer, so-"

"So, we get to go back there?" Phoebe interrupted excitedly. "And we get to meet our grandfather?"

"Don't make too much out of it," Grams told her strictly, "because whatever you do, you can't change the past or tell anyone you're from the future."

"Well, why do they get to?" Phoebe demanded, motioning to Meredith and Chris.

"Because we know what we're doing." Chris retorted.

"In theory." Meredith added as Piper scoffed and rolled her eyes and Phoebe laughed.

"Not from where I'm standing." Grams said. "I'll stay here with Leo and the newbies to contain the slime until you can bring Paige back to vanquish it, ok? Okay, girls, get dressed. You are going to the Summer of Love."

* * *

Allen stood in the middle of a group of people, some of them playing drums.

"Hear the drums!" he said. "Liquid beats crashing down on parched shores, pounding like the feet of ten thousand soldiers, whispering, 'Why? Why?'."

"Right on!" Paige said, surging to her feet.

The drumming stopped and the audience applauded.

"Sorry." Paige said, sheepishly. "I just got a little carried away."

"Don't be sorry." Allen told her. "That was gone."

"Gone." Paige agreed. "That's right. That's exactly what I should be-gone, because I'm actually starting to dig th-like this. Ha! It's kind of cool, everybody being so free."

"You are exactly what we're all about, Paige." Penny told her, standing up. "You want to hear my dream? I dream of a crusade to rid the world of evil, not through fighting or the inner anger that makes us want to fight, but through the magic power of love."

"Are you sure you're Penny Halliwell?" Paige asked, laughing. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Ever since I met Allen." Penny said, smiling and wrapping her arm around the man.

"It must be so great to share this together." Paige said, smiling softly.

"Your old man's not into magic?" Allen asked.

"He's not so old, but nah." Paige replied. "Not so into it, either."

There was a flash of lights, and Piper and Phoebe appeared.

"Hey, Groovy Girl." Piper said. "We've been looking for you."

"Welcome." Penny told them. "I'm Penny. Any friends of Paige's are friends of ours. But you shouldn't use magic so openly."

"That's Grams?" Phoebe exclaimed excitedly.

"Shh!" Piper hushed her.

"I'm Allen." Allen told them. "Peace and love."

"Oh, yes, love." Phoebe gushed. "Lots and lots of love. I have so much love for you, man. You have no idea."

"You here for the happening at the manor tonight?" Penny asked.

"No." Piper replied. "We were just looking for our friend Paige, actually. Excuse us."

Piper grabbed her and pulled her aside.

"I'm so glad you guys found me." Paige told her.

"We need to get out of here." Piper replied.

Before she could say anything else, cop cars approached, sirens blaring. They stopped outside the park and cops began breaking up the gathering.

"It's the pigs!" Allen called.

"Okay, everybody, let's break it up!" a cop ordered. "Let's go! Everybody out!"

"Move it!" his partner added.

"This is a park, man!" Allen told him. "You can't control god's green earth."

"It's the taxpayers' green dollars that pay for this park, and you're loitering, so move it!" the cop told him.

"Hell, no we won't go!" the attendees started to chant. "Hell, no, we' won't go!"

The lead cop removed his baton.

"Hell, no, we won't go!" the crowd continued to chant. "Hell, no, we won't go!"

"They have no right, they have no power." Penny chanted, holding her hands in front of her. "Turn their hate sticks into flowers."

The cops stared as their batons turned into bouquets of flowers.

"Hell, no, we won't go!" the crowd kept chanting. "Hell, no, we won't go! Hell, no, we won't go!"

"Let's jam." Robin said, appearing at Penny's side. "If the cops get us, we'll miss tonight."

"Hell, no, we won't go!" the crowd got louder. "Hell, no, we won't go!"

"Freeze him!" Phoebe said.

Piper waved her hands, but nothing happened. The cops dropped the flowers and grabbed Phoebe by the arm and slapped handcuffs on Piper.

As the crowd continued to chant, Penny grabbed Paige's wrist.

"Paige, come on, come on." She told her, pulling her away as the cops took Piper and Phoebe.

* * *

The cop shut and locked the cell door as Piper and Phoebe conferred inside.

"If what's happening tonight at the manor is what I think it is, this might be the night that grandpa dies." Piper said, sighing.

"Let's just hope that Paige tries to get us out of here first, because I don't want to be raised by that flower child we saw in the park." Phoebe said. "We'd never make it to puberty!"

"You don't own me!" a black man in the next cell shouted. "You think you own me, but the man will never own Luther Morris."

"I said, 'keep it down'!" a guard shouted back.

"No." Phoebe gasped as she and her sister stared at the man.

Standing in front of them was a clone of Darryl – with an afro and a goatee.

"What are you two looking at?" Luther demanded as he took off his sunglasses.

* * *

"Please," Paige pleaded with Allen and Robin, "there's got to be a way to get my friends out of jail."

"Stay cool, Paige." Allen told her. "We've all been hassled by the pigs. It's a rite of passage. They'll let your friends go…after a night in jail."

"Okay, everybody, time to prepare for the party!" Penny called, coming down the stairs. "Take a crystal, bless it, and hide it outside the manor. We want to form a perimeter."

"What are those?" Robin asked.

"Those are pyrite crystals." Paige replied immediately. "They resonate a harmonic tone when exposed to evil, kind of like a demonic alarm system."

Penny looked at Paige, surprised, as other witches took crystals from the bag.

"How did you know?" Penny asked, impressed.

"I was taught by the best." Paige replied, smiling.

"I thought our gathering tonight was a peaceful one." Robin protested.

"I want to give peace a chance as much as anyone, Robin, but I'm not dumb." Penny told her. "You know how many covens are coming tonight? We'll be sitting ducks."

"Right." Robin said, uncomfortable.

As she left, Allen watched her go, suspicion in his eyes.

"I would really love it if my friends could come tonight, if there's anything that we can do to help them." Paige said, trying to bring his attention back to her.

"I'll tell you what." Allen said, his thoughts still far away. "I got a friend who's an A.C.L.U. lawyer. I'll call him…right after we set the crystals."

"Thank you." Paige replied.

Allen hesitated for a moment before following Robin up the stairs.

A/N: Sorry for the long way again! Still waiting for the 70th reviewer! This was very disappointing. So, if we can get to 70 and 80 this time, perhaps you'll get a faster update. Yes, I am holding your chapters hostage. What are you going to do about it?

Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	23. Witchstock 4

Disclaimer: Oh I give up. You guys wanna sue me? Best of luck.

Ch. 23:

"The way I see it, we're all targets for the slime." Grams said as she, Leo, Chris, and Meredith stood in the nursery. "We need a plan to control it until the girls get back."

Unnoticed by the adults, Wyatt stood in his crib, staring at his full bottle on the nightstand, just slightly out of reach.

"In the future, everyone tried to control the demon with no name, but it can't be done." Chris told Grams.

"That's hardly a winning attitude, young man." She told him. "And why, in heaven's name, couldn't the people in the future find a name for that thing?"

"Because we were too busy fighting the damn thing in the future." Meredith said crossly.

"Speaking of the future, what's so awful that happens to Wyatt?" Leo asked.

"You know we can't tell you that." Chris replied.

"Come on, I'm an Elder." Leo told him.

"Excuse me, back on point?" Grams said. "The slime. I'm taking suggestions."

"We could orb it to an ice drift." Leo suggested.

"No, that's bad." Chris replied.

"Really bad." Meredith added.

"It's not bad, it's awful." Grams told him. "You can't orb that thing. It feeds on magic."

"So what's your great idea?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"Are you giving me lip?" Grams demanded.

"No." Chris said, stepping back.

Meredith snorted and he glared at her.

Suddenly, Wyatt orbed his bottle to him.

"No!" Chris yelled.

Leo grabbed Wyatt just as green goo shot out of the mirror towards him. It hit the lamp as Leo ran out after the others. They ran down the stairs as bits and pieces of the ceiling fell down all around them and the lights flashed on and off.

"Where do we go?" Chris asked as they stopped in the foyer.

"Hold on." Leo said. "I think it stopped."

They all listened. The house creaked and moaned as the goo moved around the house.

"Psst!" Chris hissed to Leo. "Get Wyatt out of the house. If it tries to follow, I'll fire off an orb or two to distract it."

"Or I'll shock the thing." Meredith told him.

"No, you won't." Chris told her sternly.

"Bite me, Christopher." She shot back.

"It's not up for discussion." He told her.

"Can we get back on topic?" Grams demanded.

"Leo gets Wyatt out, I distract the demon." Chris told her. "You okay with that?"

"Yeah." She replied. "It's just what I had in mind."

"Good." Chris said.

Leo took Wyatt and slowly made his way to the front door. He reached out to the door knob when the green goo appeared outside the window to cover the door, sealing them inside.

* * *

Piper moved from the bars to sit next to Phoebe.

"Any sign of Paige?" Phoebe asked.

"Nope." Piper replied. "We're not gonna reach her before grandpa's attacked."

Phoebe sighed and looked at the guard outside the cell.

"Should we try a spell?" Phoebe asked.

"Why not?" Piper said, shrugging. "Let's try a spell."

"Leave it to the man to lock the brother up with the crazies." Luther said suddenly.

Piper and Phoebe looked at him, staring at them through the bars.

"Shh!" Piper told him.

He fixed his hair as he moved away from the bars and they walked towards the cell door.

"Come to me and be seduced." Piper said. "I have a girl to introduce. Fall for her, you can't resist her. Trust me, mister, she's my sister."

"Why me?" Phoebe hissed.

"'Cause he's not my type." Piper said, grinning as she turned away.

"Oh!" Phoebe complained.

She sighed and grabbed the bars, turning on her charm.

"Hi." She called in a throaty voice.

"Hi." The guard replied, laughing.

"You know what I think is really _hot_?" she asked him.

"No." he answered.

"A guy in a cage." She told him. "Yeah. Why don't you come in here with me?"

"All right." The guard readily agreed.

He took out his keys and unlocked the cell door before walking inside.

"Take off your shirt." Phoebe suggested.

The guard laughed with anticipation as Luther objected loudly from his cell.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" he yelled. "Luther don't wanna see this."

Phoebe took the guard's shirt and tossed it to Luther.

"Put this on." She told him. "You're gonna lead us to freedom, Luther."

He quickly grabbed the shirt and took off his jacket.

"Well…a bother could get used to this." Luther told them.

"Mm-hmm." Piper agreed, watching him put the shirt on. "So could a brother's son."

* * *

Paige was searching the manor for Allen when Leo walked up to her.

"There's my little psychedelic sunshine." He said. "Are you ready for your private session?"

"Uh, uh…yeah, real soon." She told him. "Um, have you seen Allen? He was supposed to call his lawyer friends for me."

"My name is Leo, like the zodiac sign?" the whitelighter/Paige's future brother-in-law took her hand. "Astrologically speaking, leo represents the sun, constantly burning and highly energetic."

"Okay, Starshine." Paige said, extracting her hand and slapping him gently on the chest. "Could you just please point me in the direction of where I might find Allen?"

Leo turned Paige around and pointed her in the direction.

"Thank you." She told him, heading for the attic.

* * *

Allen walked into the attic to find Robin chanting.

"And so I call upon the crone," she called, "let evil roam inside this home."

"I thought you were acting strange." Allen interrupted.

"Allen, are you spying on me?" Robin asked.

"How could you, Robin?" he demanded. "What about our dream?"

"My only dream is helping my warlock friend put all of you weak creatures out of your misery tonight." She shot back, powering up a fireball in her hand.

The attic door opened and Paige walked in.

"Robin!" she shouted.

Robin threw the fireball at her and she dived to take cover, the fireball just narrowly missing her. Allen raised his hands to try to intervene.

"Violence isn't the answer, Robin." He told her. "Let love replace your fear! I know you felt our love!"

"Yeah!" Robin agreed snidely. "And I've still got the stink of it all over me."

"Over here!" Paige called, getting up and moving to the side.

Robin created another fireball as Paige knocked over a canister of marbles, scattering them all over the floor. As Robin tripped and fell flat on her back, the fireball flew high into the air above her.

Phoebe and Piper ran into the room right as the fireball fell back down and hit Robin, vanquishing her with her own power.

The blast from the explosion threw Allen into the wall and he fell to the ground.

"Allen!" Paige called.

"I'm all right!" he told her.

Phoebe and Piper exchanged a look and Paige winced.

"Uh-oh." She said. "What did I just do?"

"Oh, nothing much." Piper told her. "Just changed our entire future!"

"Or erased it." Phoebe added.

* * *

Chris, Meredith, and Leo walked into the kitchen and looked around.

"What'd it do, split in half?" Leo asked.

As they watched, goo slowly covered the utility room door, trapping them inside.

"How do we get out?" Chris asked.

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "Orb?"

"That thing almost swallowed Chris whole last time he tried to orb." Meredith pointed out. "I should just electrocute the thing."

"No, out of the question." Chris replied instantly.

"Will you get your head out of your ass?" Meredith yelled at him. "This thing is only going to keep growing. We need to nip this in the bud, and, in case you've forgotten, I have the strongest active power!"

"I'm not going to risk losing you!" Chris yelled back at her.

Meredith stared at him.

"Is that why you've been keeping me locked up?" she asked him softly. "Is that what you're afraid of?"

Chris looked away, but Meredith reached up and forced him to look at her.

"That's what Bianca told you." She said, understanding. "She told you to protect me."

Chris looked at her, but he didn't answer. Without stopping to think, Meredith reached up and kissed him gently. He was surprised for a moment, but then he returned the kiss.

"You can't always protect me." She told him softly when she pulled away. "You need a better reason than you're afraid to lose me to keep me out of the fight. We're fighting a war to save our family. I'm not going to sit on the sidelines."

Chris took a deep breath.

"Be that as it may, I do have other reasons, beyond my own neurotic tendencies." He told her. "We can't give that thing a chance to latch on to you. It could use you as a channel to access the Elemental powers you harness. That would be way worse than it feeding on me."

Meredith glared at him.

"I hate it when you use logic." She told him. "Okay, fine. What else have we got?"

"What do you think, Penny?" Leo called.

The three of them turned to look at Grams and found a totally different woman standing in the doorway. Oh, she was still Penny, but she was dressed in tie-dyed clothing, a leather tie around her forehead, love beads around her neck, and dangly earrings hanging from her ears.

"I think love conquers all." She told them in a breathy voice. "I think that we should take the demon into our arms and make it fell safe."

Chris, Meredith, and Leo stared at her.

"Oh, we are so screwed." Meredith muttered.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! My life got kind of out of control there for a while, but it's starting to calm down. So, shout outs!:

70 goes to: charmed415

and

80 goes to: future author at work

Congratulations!

Let me know what you guys thought! Shout outs will continue on the tens!

Also, if you read my Doctor Who story, you should go check out my new one shot, Who Wants To Live Forever. It's an au for my au. And yes, it's already been pointed out that this is getting a little out of control.

Abbey


	24. Witchstock 5

Disclaimer: If I promise to let this whole thing, can I keep Chris?

Ch. 24:

Hippie Grams smiled at the trio as they stared at her.

"Leo, can I talk to you for a second, please?" Chris asked.

"Do you mind holding him for a second, please?" Leo asked Grams.

"Of course!" she replied happily. "Come here, Moonbeam. Awww…"

"Wyatt." Leo told her. "His name is Wyatt."

He hesitated before following Chris and Meredith to the other side of the room as Grams sang to the little boy.

"One of the sisters must have changed the past." Chris said.

"Ya think?" Meredith asked sarcastically.

"Penny clearly never made the change from flower child to demon hunter." Chris continued, ignoring her.

"We shall not, we shall not be moved." Grams sang in the background.

"Okay, that's just creepy." Meredith muttered.

"Clearly." Leo said, also ignoring Meredith. "You think the girls can fix the time line and get back here?"

"We shall not-" Grams continued as Chris shook his head.

Suddenly, they froze as the house rumbled and they saw that the goo had completely encased the door.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think this thing was trying to back us into a corner." Meredith said.

The glass on the door cracked from the pressure.

"That is what it's doing." Chris said. "Take Wyatt and Joan Baez here into the conservatory. I'll gather what we need to fight it off."

Leo guided Grams out of the room as Chris and Meredith grabbed a blender and the toaster respectively, following Leo out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Robin?" Penny asked as she walked into the attic. "We got a lot of-"

She stopped when she saw Piper and Phoebe standing by the Book of Shadows. She turned and saw Paige and Allen sitting on the floor. Everyone was grim.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Robin." Paige answered. "She attacked."

"Are you hurt?" Penny asked, rushing to help Allen to his feet.

"No, I'm alright." he told her. "I'm all right. She said something about a warlock attacking tonight."

"So?" Piper asked. "That's no problem. You have a house full of witches."

"Piper's right." Phoebe said. "You could all take on the warlocks. All you have to do is fight."

"That's not who we are." Penny told her. "We don't believe in murder."

"No." Phoebe said. "Neither do we, but we do believe in vanquishing evil."

"I'm sorry." Penny told them. "I don't see violence as a solution to anything. I thought you understood that, Paige. I thought you were one of us."

"Let's go, Penny." Allen said. "Let's send everyone home. I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

He led his wife out of the attic, leaving the sisters alone.

"Oh, she is driving me nuts!" Phoebe seethed. "That is not the Grams we all know."

"The Grams we know found her husband dead tonight." Piper replied.

"I know we're supposed to turn her into a bit of a killer whatever, but what if this happens to be her new destiny…with grandpa?" Paige asked.

"If grandpa was supposed to die tonight, death will come after him again." Phoebe told her.

"And the first thing we have to remember is, we're not here to change anything." Piper added. "We just need to keep Grams alive, and unfortunately, we don't have our powers to do that."

Phoebe looked down at the Book, flipping though the pages.

"Well, it's a lot thinner than we're used to, but I'm sure we could find something in here to help us make a potion." she said, looking at Paige. "Will you help me?"

"Yeah." her sister replied.

"I'll be downstairs on warlock watch." Piper said, turning to leave.

* * *

"Why isn't it attacking?" Leo asked. "It's like it cornered us and now it's just waiting."

He looked around the dining room windows, which were completely covered by the green goo.

"I think we need the toaster oven." Chris said thoughtfully.

Leo walked across the room and got the appliance.

"You know, that's a disaster waiting to happen." Grams said.

"That's the idea." Chris replied. "You saw how the slime reacted to the electricity."

Leo placed the toaster oven on a mountain of appliances on the dining room table.

"Well, if we can get it to attack this pile, maybe we can get it to zap it." Chris continued.

"If I can find a place to plug it in." Leo muttered.

"What are you going to do when this plan blows the breakers?" Meredith asked. "Cause I know this house's electrical system better than anyone, and I'm telling you, it can't take this. Not before the renovations that come with having an electrical elemental in the house. And if I can't use my powers, I can't run interference for you and keep it running."

"It's not going to blow." Chris said confidently.

"When it does, you owe me a beer." Meredith told him.

"No offense, but, you know, my dear Allen would have taken the path of peaceful resistance." Grams chimed in. "Have you tried talking to the slime?"

"No, I haven't, and you shouldn't either." Leo told her before turning to Chris. "But if you're up for some light conversation, maybe you want to tell me what happens to Wyatt in the future."

"Uh." Chris replied. "Nice try."

"Got it." Leo said, finding an open outlet.

He plugged it in and all the electricity went out in the house.

"Damn it!" Leo exclaimed as Chris groaned.

"I wonder what the most expensive beer I can get is." Meredith said as Leo threw the plugs aside.

"I told you kids, violence is not the answer to anything." Grams told them.

"I'll fix it." Meredith said, sighing. "I spent most of my childhood blowing the circuits in this house, so I'm probably the most qualified to fix it. Come on. Flashlight still in the laundry room?"

Leo nodded and Meredith grabbed Chris, dragging him along.

"Why am I going?" he complained.

"Because I don't have my powers to use, so I'm going to have to do this the old fashion way." she replied, grabbing the flashlight and handing it to him. "I need you to hold the light."

They walked to the basement door and walked inside. Chris held the flashlight in front of them and hit it when it flickered. The light went back on and they looked down the stairs.

"Okay." Chris said.

Beneath them, the goo was feeding on the nexus.

"Leo!" Meredith yelled.

Both witches turned and ran as fast as they could, slamming the door behind them as Leo ran into the kitchen.

"What is it?" he demanded. "What is it?"

"The slime…" Chris said, breathing heavily, "in the basement…feeding on the nexus."

"How big was it?" Leo asked.

"Be my guest." Meredith replied, handing him the flashlight.

Leo took it and opened the door, shinning the light on the goo, which was quickly filling the basement. The goo reacted to the light and attacked. Leo quickly slammed the door shut as he backed up.

"Big." he said.

"Yeah." Chris agreed. "Big."

"Understatement of the year." Meredith muttered.

* * *

Allen and Penny stood in the foyer, saying good bye to their guests.

"We were going to make history." The last witch said as she hugged Penny goodbye.

"I know, honey." Penny replied.

She left and Penny closed the door as Piper stepped forward.

"We need to talk." She told them.

"I agree." Allen replied. "We need to talk with the warlock and find a path of peaceful resistance to resolve this situation."

"The first thing my Grams taught me was not to reason with demons." Piper said.

"Your grandmother fought demons?" Penny asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Piper answered. "She was a great woman…and she knew that you can't reason or negotiate with demons. They kill, and they keep killing until a force of good stops them."

"If your grandmother hurt other living creatures, she doesn't sound so great to me." Penny told her. "I'm sorry."

"Penny's right." Allen said. "You can't be a savior and a murderer at the same time."

"Really?" Piper asked. "What if a demon attacked somebody you loved, like your daughter? Would you fight then?"

Everything suddenly froze as the Warlock blinked into the room. He looked around and found that all of the witches were gone.

"Where are all the witches?" he demanded angrily. "Where in the hell are all the witches?"

He waved his hand and time resumed.

"Where are they?" he yelled.

"Well, that depends on who you're looking for." Piper told him.

"Everybody!" he shouted, frustrated.

"We sent them home." Allen told him. "The manor's yours. We won't fight you."

The Warlock backhanded Allen across the face, sending him to the floor, unconscious.

"Do something!" Piper yelled at Penny.

Penny held her arms out towards the Warlock.

"May peace and love from moon above," she chanted, "flow through your heart on the wings of a dove."

The Warlock held out his hand and time stopped again.

"Did you just try and cast a love spell on me?" The Warlock asked the frozen witches mockingly. "I'm a warlock!"

As he powered up a fire ball as Allen shook his self awake and got up.

"What is this world coming to?" the Warlock continued.

He threw the fire ball.

"No!" Allen shouted, throwing himself in front of the blast, knocking Penny and Piper to the ground.

Piper stared at Allen's wound as Penny shook her husband. He was dead.

"No!" she cried, laying her head on his chest. "Allen!"

"Your turn to join him sweetheart." The Warlock said.

"Hey!" a voice called.

The Warlock turned and saw Phoebe and Paige in the doorway. Paige threw the potion at the Warlock and the explosion sent him sailing across the room and into a wall. Phoebe threw another potion, but the Warlock blinked out.

"I think he's gone." She said.

"For now." Paige added.

Piper got to her feet as Penny continued to hold Allen, crying.

"This isn't right." She said, staring at her grandmother.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, Grams flew into a rage when she found grandpa dead." Piper told her. "It made her what she was. Does that look like a demon killer to you?"

They all turned to look at Penny, who continued to cry, mourning her husband.

* * *

Leo held Wyatt as he watched Chris and Meredith stripped the covering of some wires.

"If the demon comes at us, we'll hold it off with this." Chris told him.

With their backs to her, Grams took a candle and opened the basement door.

"Don't be afraid of us." She told the goo. "We won't hurt you."

"Penny, get back!" Leo yelled, turning quickly.

Before any of them could move, the goo grabbed Grams and pulled her down into the basement and the door slammed shut after her.

"Oh, we are so screwed." Meredith said, leaning her head on the counter as Leo and Chris stared at where Grams had been.

* * *

Phoebe paced the floor as Penny stirred a potion and Piper and Paige watched from a distance.

"How are you so calm right now?" Phoebe demanded. "It's okay for you to be angry. That Warlock killed your husband."

"I am angry…" Penny told her, letting go of the spoon in her hand, "at myself. That's why I'm mixing a binding potion."

"Binding your magic is not the answer."Piper told her.

"It is for me." Penny replied. "I tried to save Allen, and I failed. What good is my magic if it can't save my family?"

She glumly threw another ingredient into the pot.

"It's a lot of good." Paige told her. "Remember your dream? You can't turn your back on it now. What would Allen think?"

"Doesn't matter." Penny replied. "He's dead. No one'll ever compare to him. I'll probably end up hating men for the rest of my life."

She tossed another ingredient into the pot.

"Well, she's got us there." Piper muttered.

"Magic can save your family." Phoebe told her. "I mean, my sisters have saved-"

She stopped, wincing.

"You said these were you 'friends'." Penny said, looking at them closely. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"Oh…" Phoebe said.

"Uh…"Paige said, wincing.

"Don't!" Piper warned through her teeth. "Can't change history."

"It's a little late now, isn't it?" Paige shot back before turning to Penny. "We're your granddaughters."

Piper turned away.

"Hi, Grams." Phoebe said, waving.

"I'm your 'Grams'?" Penny asked. "The 'Demon Hunter'?"

"Yeah, and these fancy boots brought me from the future." Paige told her.

"And these earrings." Piper said.

"And this ring." Phoebe added, holding up her hand.

"You're trying to trick me." Penny accused.

"No." Piper told her. "Afraid not, Grams. Look, it's a payback time. You need to get your act together. We love you, but if you don't start fighting now, all the people we're meant to save in the fut-"

A fireball hit the potions pot.

"You didn't think I forgot about you?" the Warlock asked.

"Those we're our potions." Piper pointed out.

Phoebe stepped forward to kick the Warlock but he blink out of the way and she hit the floor with a thud.

Penny stared at the Warlock, her eyes wide.

* * *

Leo and Chris struggled to keep the basement door shut as Meredith held Wyatt, pacing behind them.

"Oh, we killed Grams." She moaned. "We killed Grams. We killed Grams and she's not even alive. Oh, the sisters are so going to kill us. This is worse than the time I set the club on fire. Oh we're so screwed."

"Look, take Wyatt to the living room and keep him safe." Chris told her.

Meredith nodded and walked out the door.

"She'll keep Wyatt safe." Chris assured Leo. "And there's no sign of the demon in the rest of the house."

"I think it was distracting us before so it could feed on Nexus." Leo replied.

"What about Penny?" Chris asked. "Is she-?"

"I don't know." Leo replied.

A patch of the goo oozed out of from under the door. Chris grabbed two wires and shocked the slime, causing it to withdraw. It tried again and Chris shocked it again.

* * *

Piper and Paige smashed into the coffee table as the Warlock smiled.

"It's not quite the slaughter I expected, but it'll have to do for a night's work." The Warlock said.

The sisters slowly got to their feet as the Warlock powered up another fire ball to finish them.

"Stop!"

He turned around to see Penny standing behind him.

"What are you gonna do?" the Warlock demanded. "Cast another love spell?"

Penny motioned and the warlock flew backwards into the wall.

"Well, it's about time." Phoebe said.

"Like you said, Piper, it's okay to fight for someone you love, right?" Penny said.

Penny motioned again, sending the Warlock into another wall.

"Welcome back to your destiny, Grams." Paige told her.

Penny motioned once again, smashing the Warlock into a group of furniture.

"Now she's just showing off." Piper said.

"Okay." Phoebe said, pointing. "The grandfather clock."

Penny used her power to bring the clock down.

"What do I usually do at this point?" she asked.

"You usually do something very final, if you catch my drift." Phoebe replied.

Penny took a deep breath and let it out.

"Snuff this warlock." She chanted. "His days are done. But make him good for the ecosystem?"

The Warlock began to smoke and finally burst into a shower of daisies.

"Now, that's what you call flower power." Piper said.

"Not exactly ruthless, but a fine start." Paige agreed.

"That was for Allen." Penny said. "So, now what?"

"Now we gotta get home fast, because we have a slimy demon of our own to deal with." Piper told her.

"How are we gonna do that?" Paige asked.

"Grams just has to reverse the spell." Phoebe answered.

"Glad to know I have groovy grandkids." Penny told them. "Just the same, I think I'm gonna work on a forgetting spell for after you go. You know, keep the cosmic order."

"Oh, I like this Grams." Paige said. "I don't want to forget you."

She stepped forward and hugged Penny goodbye.

* * *

Chris and Leo struggled to keep the door closed still.

"Get out of here!" Leo ordered. "Go!"

"No!" Chris replied. "Not without you."

"This thing's gonna swallow you whole." Leo said.

"Most likely." Chris agreed.

There was a loud thud and the boys groaned as they kept the door steady.

There was a flash, and the girls appeared behind them.

"Stand back, fellas." Piper said.

"Drawing on the power of three," Paige chanted, "Destroy this evil entity."

There was a loud explosion and the boys were thrown from the door. A bright green glow came from under the door and slowly faded away, leaving quiet in its wake.

"Where's Wyatt?" Piper asked.

"Right here." Meredith said.

She walked up and wrapped her arm around Piper, hugging her tightly, before handing Wyatt to her.

"Hi to you too." Phoebe said as Meredith hugged first her, then Paige.

"I'm so glad you're back." She told them. "Please don't ever leave me alone with these two again."

"And what about Grams?" Phoebe asked.

Meredith didn't answer and Chris looked at his feet.

"She didn't make it." Leo told them.

The basement door burst open and Grams chose that moment to reappear, smoking, but still with them.

"Nonsense!" she said, coughing, making Meredith, Chris, and Leo smile. "You can't damage an old war horse like me. I'm already dead!"

"Yay, Grams!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're back!"

She rushed forward to hug her. Paige, meanwhile, made her way to Leo and Meredith hugged Piper again.

"Hey there, sun god." Paige said.

"Ha!" Leo said, embarrassed. "Hey, that was a long time ago. Let's just keep that between us, okay?"

"Hey, I want to thank you three for not giving up the fight." Grams said, looking at Chris, Leo, and Meredith. "I'm really proud of you boys and you, young lady." She punched Chris in the arm. "You did good!"

The boys smiled at each other and Meredith hugged Grams.

* * *

Piper tucked Wyatt into bed as Paige and Phoebe watched from the door.

"Grams gone?" Piper asked, turning and walking towards them.

"Yes, but not before yelling at us for moving out." Paige answered.

"It was good to hear her yell at us for a change." Phoebe said.

"So did she convince you to move back in?" Piper asked.

"No, but she did give us her blessing after she was done yelling." Paige replied.

"Really?" Piper asked, surprised.

"Well, she gave up a lot to be a witch." Phoebe said. "You know, she lost grandpa."

"And her dreams." Paige added.

"I don't think she wants that to happen to us." Phoebe said. "But she did make me promise that I would keep in touch more."

"And I have to promise to keep using my magic." Paige said.

"Wow." Piper said. "I guess Grams really is a softy underneath it all. So, you guys going home?"

"Home is a relative term, but yeah, we're heading out." Paige replied.

"I should get back and finish my origami dragon." Phoebe said.

"Yeah." Piper said. "I understand. Well, you guys know you always have a home here and a room when you want it back…I mean, if you want it back."

Her sisters moved forward and hugged her tightly before Piper stepped back and Paige orbed them away.

"Everything alright?" Leo asked, walking in.

"No, it's not." Piper replied. "I mean, I know it seems to them that I'm moving on with my life and everything's fine, but it's not true. I wish they were still here."

"You should tell them that." Leo told her.

"No, I shouldn't." she replied. "I should just go to bed. Good night."

Piper passed him on her way out.

"Good night." He replied, walking over to Wyatt in his crib. "Good night, Moonbeam."

Inside the crib, Wyatt lay, tucked in a patch work quilt , with a huge peace sign in the center of it.

A/N: Let me know what you think.

This chapter's shout out goes to:

Lost child of Gallifrey

Next shout out is the big 1-0-0!

REVIEW PEOPLE!

Abbey


	25. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed I think the world would be a better place, don't you?

Ch. 25:

The music in P3 pounded as Meredith flitted from one customer to the next. She flirted with one guy and smiled as he wrote his number down. She got his drink and made a note on a piece of paper before moving on to the next guy.

"Hey." Chris said as he sat down next to Piper, who was watching Meredith with amusement. "What's going on?"

"Becca and Meredith have a bet going." She told him. "Whoever gets the most numbers in the next hour has to take the second shift. Larry called in sick, so one of them is going to cover for him. Neither wanted to do it, so this is their way of deciding."

Meredith smiled and flirted with another guy as she took his order. As she made her way back to the bar, she spotted Chris and her smiled doubled in size.

"Hey!" she said, making her way over to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on book duty tonight."

"Taking a break." He replied. "What are you doing?"

"Trying my hardest to get out of second shift." She replied, grinning. "Right now I'm three numbers ahead. As long as I can keep this up for the next half an hour, I'm golden. And then you can buy me that beer like we discussed."

"Um, about that night…" Chris said, embarrassed. "We should probably…"

"Talk?" Meredith finished. "Yeah."

"Later?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"Well, I have a bet to win, so I will be back." She said, pushing herself away from the bar. "Don't go anywhere."

"Wait." He said, grabbing a napkin.

He quickly wrote his number and handed it to her, making her smile.

"Wouldn't want you to lose, would we?" he said, grinning.

She took the paper and added it to her pile.

As the next few minutes wore on, Piper began to watch Chris with amusement.

"What?" he demanded after she chuckled for the fourth time.

"You're jealous." She stated.

Chris stared at her.

"No, I'm not." He protested. "I have nothing to be jealous of."

"Sure you don't." Piper said. "That's why you growl every time she gets another number."

"I do not growl!" Chris told her.

Piper laughed at him.

"Calm down, Chris." She told him. "You have nothing to be worried about. You're the only guy she's really smiled at tonight."

"Really?" Chris asked before he could stop himself. "I mean…"

"Oh, just give it up." Piper said, laughing.

Chris sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.

"You love her." She told him. "And any idiot could see she loves you, so what's the problem?"

"How do you know she loves me?" Chris demanded.

"She risked everything to protect your daughter and when she couldn't do that, she followed you to the past." Piper said. "Either she loves you, or she's certifiable."

Chris shushed her as Meredith came over.

"Well, time's up and I win with two more numbers." She said, grinning. "So Becca takes second shift and you buy me that beer."

"Glad to." Chris told her.

"Just give me five minutes to change and get cleaned up." She told him, kissing his cheek. "See you in a few."

"Yeah, she doesn't care about you at all." Piper said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked.

"I'm going home." She replied. "You, try not to keep her out all night."

"You-Piper-Don't!" Chris said quickly.

"Have fun!" she called, walking away.

"What's going on?" Meredith asked.

Chris turned around and his jaw dropped.

Meredith had changed out of her jeans and t-shirt to a jean mini-skirt and a sparkly tank-top.

"What?" she asked, sitting down next to him. "What's with the look?"

Chris shook himself and smiled.

"Nothing." He said. "You look great."

"Thanks!" she replied. "So, beer!"

Chris sighed and shook his head.

"Becca, two beers please." He called.

"Most expensive you can find." Meredith added. "Chris is buying."

"Coming right up." Becca replied, laughing.

A second later, she came back with their drinks and they moved to one of the alcoves.

"So," Chris said, clearing his throat. "About the other night."

"Yeah?" Meredith said, a slight smile gracing her lips.

"About the, um, kiss." He sputtered.

Meredith laughed.

"Oh, come on." He groused.

"Oh, Chris, I'm sorry." She told him, chuckling. "But you're acting like we're teenagers again and it was our first kiss. I'm sorry, sweetie, but that ship sailed over eight years ago."

"Okay, this is awkward for me, a little sympathy is all I'm asking for here." he told her, glaring.

Meredith responded by leaning over and kissing him.

After a moment, she pulled away, leaving a dumbfounded Chris in her wake.

"I love you." She told him softly. "I have since we were 16 and nothing's changed since then. I lost you and it about killed me. I'm not about to let you slip through my fingers again."

She gently touched his face as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"I missed you." He told her, pulling away again. "I missed you so much."

Meredith sighed and curled into his side.

"I missed you too." She told him. "So where does this, um, leave us?"

"Who's the awkward one now?" he said, laughing.

"Shut up." She said, pushing him with her shoulder. "What's your answer?"

"Bianca told me to not let you go again." He said, taking her hand. "I plan on taking her advice."

Meredith leaned up to kiss him again.

"Good idea." She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her again.

* * *

Piper walked up stairs and knocked on Meredith's door.

"Sweetie, are you in there?" she called.

There was a thump and a muffled curse.

"Shh!" she heard Meredith call and she smiled.

"Mer, have you seen Chris this morning?" Piper called, grinning. "I've been calling him, but he's not answering."

"Not true!"

"Shh!" she heard Meredith hiss. "No, Aunt Piper, I haven't seen him since last night."

Piper quickly stifled a laugh.

"Well come down soon and I'll keep trying him." She called. "Paige is on her way over. She says she has new for us."

"Um, okay." Meredith called. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

There was another muffled curse and some more thuds and Piper saw a flash from under the door. She shook her head and moved to the stairs as she chuckled to herself.

A few minutes later, Meredith came stumbling down the stairs.

"Oh, good, you're here." Piper said, grinning. "You try calling Chris. Maybe he'll answer you."

"Um, sure." Meredith said, wincing. "Uh, Chris?"

There was a flash of orbs and Chris appeared.

"Uh huh." Piper said, taking a sip as Meredith glared at her.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down at the table next to Meredith.

"I don't know." She told him, pouring sugar into her cup of tea. "We were summoned, so here we are."

There was another flash of orbs as Paige arrived.

"Hi!" she said.

"Aunt Paige, it's 7 in the morning ." Meredith told her. "I'm tired. Please tell me there is a reason for this lovely family meeting."

"Oh there is." She said. "I've been in touch with the Social Services in New York, but something strange is going on."

"Wait, New York?" Meredith asked, sitting up. "We're talking about mini-me?"

"What's going on?" Piper asked.

"Well, every time I call, it's like they've forgotten all about it." Paige told them.

"You think someone is interfering, magically?" Chris asked.

"I think so." Paige replied. "So I think we may need to take a little trip."

"We're going to New York?" Meredith exclaimed.

A/N: So I'm finally bringing in Mini-Meredith. Let me know what you guys think. And you guys owe me 3 reviews. I need to get to 100. I need to. Don't let me down.

Abbey


	26. Past Nightmares

Disclaimer: I would give anything to own Charmed.

Ch. 26:

There was a flash of orbs as Paige, Piper, and Chris appeared, followed by Meredith stepping out of the shadows.

"Where are we?" Piper asked.

"This house was left to me by my parents." Meredith said, stepping up to the door. "I used it as my headquarters when I was leading the rebellion on the east coast." She paused for a second. "My husband razed it to the ground."

She sighed and opened the door, but as she took a step forward, she was hit by a beam of light.

"It's alright." She told the others as they rushed forward. "It's a security measure. It'll only check to make sure I'm part of the right bloodline. It'll finish in a moment."

Sure enough, a second later, the light disappeared and Meredith began to move forward again.

The others followed her into a house that, in a lot of ways, was very similar to the Manor. It was three stories, including an attic, with a basement.

"It's still got all the furniture?" Paige questioned.

"After my parents died, there were no other relatives and everything was left to me." Meredith said, moving through the living room and opening the windows. "So the house was closed up and the property taxes were paid out of my inheritance. Everything is just the way they left it when they died."

She walked over to where a book was laying face down.

"And no one ever broke in?" Piper asked, surprised.

"You saw my parents protection charms." The young women replied. "They were slightly paranoid. The only person who could open this house, is me."

"What happens to anyone who isn't?" Paige asked.

Meredith winced.

"Let's just say it isn't fun." She said, shivering. "I'm going to get my parents' Book of Shadows. I'll be right back."

She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"So, what's the plan?" Chris asked.

"Well, since we can't get anyone to talk to us, I thought we'd pay a surprise visit to Meredith's foster parents." Paige said.

"Do we have to?" Meredith called, walking back downstairs with a large book. "Can't we just go grab mini-me and make a run for it?" She set the book down with a thump. "It's not a big as the Warren Book of Shadows, but my mom added plenty of Native American magic that's never been written down before. It could come in handy."

"Do we know where Meredith's foster parents are?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, I've got their address." Paige replied, holding up a piece of paper.

"So, when are we going?" Meredith asked, picking at a piece of the cover of her book.

"No time like the present." Piper told her.

Meredith groaned but got up and led them outside, locking the door and reactivating the charms. Paige took Piper's hand and orbed her away and, a second later, Chris and Meredith followed.

* * *

The four of them stood in the shadows watching Mini-Meredith cry. She was alone and she'd been crying for awhile by the looks of her.

"Were our her foster parents?" Piper hissed.

Chris glanced at Meredith and saw that she was shaking.

"Mer?" he asked quietly.

"I remember this day." She whispered.

"What happened?" Paige asked.

"I was crying because I wanted…a toy or something." Meredith told them. "I don't remember what exactly, but I was crying for it and, back then, when I got upset, the weather tended to respond to my emotions. I was just a kid, I couldn't control it, but that didn't stop them."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

Meredith opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment a woman walked into the room where Mini-Meredith was.

"See for yourself." Meredith said bleakly.

"Shut up." The woman growled. "Shut up, you brat!"

Meredith winced and looked away as the woman slapped her younger self.

"That bitch." Piper growled.

"What have I told you about making things happen?" the woman demanded, shaking the little girl.

"I sorry." Little Meredith cried. "I didn't mean too."

"Yes you did, you little bastard." The woman growled.

She raised her hand to hid the girl again, and before they could stop her, Meredith melted into the shadows, appearing behind the woman. She grabbed her arm and spun the woman around.

"You shouldn't hit children." Meredith told her. "You never know who they'll grow up to be."

"Shit." Chris muttered, orbing after Meredith.

Paige and Piper followed after him. Chris appeared right next to Meredith and the woman, while Piper and Paige landed next to Little Meredith.

"It's alright, honey." Paige told the scared little girl. "We're here now. Everything's going to be alright."

"Witches." The woman growled.

Before they could stop her, the woman blinked out.

"A warlock?" Piper demanded. "She's a warlock?"

* * *

They took the shivering little girl back to the St. James house and wrapped her in a blanket. Her older self wasn't doing much better.

_Boom!_

Chris winced as debris rained down in the attic.

"I'm pretty sure you destroyed an antique that time." He called.

Meredith ignored him, sending another bolt of lightning at the wall.

"Okay, look." He said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I know you're upset, but there is a child downstairs who is scared out of her mind, and you're not making it any better!"

Meredith stared at him for a moment before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Where her hair finally stopped sparking, Chris let her go.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her eyes bright.

Chris leaned down and kissed her softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He told her. "Now, let's go take care of little you."

She nodded and let him lead her back downstairs.

* * *

"Is she alright?" Piper whispered to Chris as he and Meredith rejoined them.

He shrugged as Meredith sat down next to her younger self.

"Hey there." She said softly.

"Hi." Little Meredith replied, just as softly.

"My name's Meredith." The older woman told her.

"That's my name too!" the young girl told her.

"I know." Meredith told her softly. "So would you mind if I call you Mer, so we don't get confused?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Okay, then Mer it is." Meredith told her.

"How do you know my name?" Mer asked her.

Meredith looked at Chris for help, but he just shrugged.

"It's really complicated." Meredith finally told her. "How 'bout you think of me as a big sister? Would you like that?"

"Are you going to come live with me?" Mer asked her.

"I was think more like you could come live with me." Meredith told her.

"Where do you live?" Mer asked her.

"I live with this very nice lady here." Meredith answered, motioning to Piper. "She's very cool and she has a big house."

"How about that?" Piper asked, kneeling in front of the girl. "Would you like to come stay with me? I have a little boy who's about your age. You could play with him."

"I'm not allowed to play." Mer told her matter of factly.

"Of course you're allowed to play." Piper told her. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"Because only good girls are allowed to play." Mer said sadly.

"Sweetie, what makes you think you aren't a good girl?" Paige asked.

"Anne said that I was a bad girl." Mer told her, tear rolling down her cheeks. "She said that's why my mommy and daddy left me."

"Oh, honey." Piper said.

She leaned forward and wrapped Mer in a hug, which seemed to surprise the girl. She hesitated for a moment, but she finally returned Piper's hug in full force.

"You never told me any of this." Chris said softly to Meredith.

"I was a lot older when I met you." She replied.

"Meredith, you are a very good girl, and your mommy and daddy wouldn't have left unless they absolutely had to." Piper told Mer. "But sometimes, things happen that even grownups can't change. I'm sure you're parents loved you very much."

"Really?" Mer asked, hope shinning in her face.

"Really." Piper replied.

"I don't want to go back to Anne and Frank." Mer whispered.

"You're never going to have to." Piper told her. "You're part of our family now, and we're not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Oh, is that so?"

The adults spun around to see the woman and a man standing behind them. Both were holding athames.

"I guess we'll just have to see about that." Anne said.

A/N: Okay, let me have it. What did you guys think? Also I had a question about Chris's rush to get out of there when little him was born, and I always took it as he knew that whatever happened to Wyatt happened before he was born, so he thought that since he was so close to being born, he was home free. If I'm wrong, let me know so I can come up with some BS reason why it doesn't apply to Meredith. Lol.

Abbey


	27. Future Dreams

Disclaimer: Oh please.

Ch. 27:

Anne sent a energy ball at Piper, who quickly dodged out of the way. She pulled Paige and Mer into the next room and Chris and Meredith joined them

"Who are you people?" the woman demanded from the other room.

Meredith leaned around the door jam and sent her own electric ball at the woman, but the man, Frank, blew it up with his energy ball.

"That's not possible." He said, staring at Meredith.

"Get Mer out of here." Meredith growled.

"We're not going to leave you!" Paige insisted.

"Keep her safe." Meredith ordered. "This isn't your fight." The others hesitated and she sighed. "I need to do this. Please."

Piper nodded and grabbed Mer's hand before motioning for Paige to orb them out. After they were gone, Chris moved to Meredith's side.

"I'm not going anywhere." He told her.

"Didn't think you were." She said. "You hold off Frank. I've got Anne."

Chris nodded and they both stepped out of the room.

"You really should have stayed out of this, witch." Anne told them. "The elemental is ours."

"Like hell she is." Meredith replied, throwing a blast of fire at the warlock.

"Who are you?" Frank demanded.

He threw his athame at her, but Chris deflected it, throwing the warlock across the room as well.

"I'm what you made me." Meredith said, throwing another handful of fire at Anne. "I'm the girl you tried to destroy." Another blast of fire. "I'm the girl you told was the reason her parents were dead."

She threw another ball, this time a mixture of electricity and fire. This time, it hit Anne and she went up in flames.

"No!" Frank yelled.

He tried to blink away, but Meredith stepped out of the shadows, grabbing him by the throat before he could leave.

"Who are you?" he sputtered.

"I'm Meredith St. James." She whispered. "I'm the girl you taught to kill."

Frank burst into flame and a second later, all that was left was a pile of ashes at Meredith's feet.

"Mer?" Chris called softly.

"Maybe, without them, I wouldn't have been able to push down the part of me that screamed to stop when Wyatt made me raze New Orleans to the ground." She said softly. "Maybe I would have fought harder to get Jenny away from him."

"What's done is done." Chris told her. "You can't undo what's in the past."

Meredith's shoulders began to shake and he quickly moved to wrap her in a hug. He just held her as she cried.

"Ready to go home?" he asked when her cries quieted.

"Just…give me a minute?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

He nodded and she pulled away, but she quickly hugged him tight.

"Thank you." She told him, kissing him lightly.

"For what?" he asked.

"For never leaving me." She replied.

She pulled away again and ran upstairs. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs, slipping something into her pocket. She grabbed her parent's Book of Shadows and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Let's go home." She said softly.

* * *

"Where are they?" Phoebe demanded, pacing around the attic.

After they had gotten back, Piper had sent Paige to get Phoebe.

"Where Meredith?" Mer asked shyly.

"Oh, honey." Phoebe said, kneeling down in front of the girl as Piper wrapped her arm around her. "I'm sure she's alright."

"Here we are." Paige said, handing the little girl a cup full of juice.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Phoebe demanded.

There was a flash of orbs and Chris and Meredith appeared.

"I hate that." Meredith muttered. "I always feel like I've left parts of me behind."

"Oh yeah, because traveling through the shadows is such a safe way to do it." Chris shot back.

"Oh, thank God." Phoebe said, rushing to hug Meredith. "We were so worried."

"I'm alright." Meredith told her, returning to hug. "We're alright. Anne and Frank won't being bothering us again."

She broke away and walked over to Mer.

"Here." she said, kneeling down and pulling something out of her pocket and putting it in her hand. "These are for you."

"What are they?" Mer asked.

"They're your parents wedding rings." Meredith told her. "Our parents rings. They belong to you now." She slipped the chain over the girl's neck. "They loved you very much."

The little girl looked at the rings, before yawning.

"Somebody needs to get some sleep." Piper said.

"Put her in my room." Meredith said, standing up. "We can get her set up tomorrow."

"Where are you going to sleep then?" Piper asked.

"Um, at P3." Meredith replied, both her and Chris looking anywhere but the sisters.

"Well, where's Chris going to sleep?" Phoebe asked. "It's not like there's much room there."

"Uh, with me." Meredith replied, blushing.

"Oh." Phoebe said as Piper grinned. "Well."

"Okay, time to put the little girl to bed." Meredith said, picking Mer up. "Say goodnight, Mer."

"G'night." She said sleepily.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Phoebe told her, kissing her forehead.

Meredith walked out with Mer.

"Oh, she is just adorable." Phoebe gushed.

"She is very cute." Piper agreed.

"Okay, details." Paige said, pouncing on Chris. "What happened?"

"Not much." He replied. "You guys left and we took care of the warlocks."

"Why didn't you tell us they were warlocks?" Piper demanded.

"Because I didn't know." Chris replied. "She never told me."

"Why wouldn't she tell you that?" Piper asked. "I thought she told you pretty much everything."

"Yeah, but telling him would've mean admitting that I vanquished them when I was five." Meredith said, walking back in. "It's not something I'm particularly proud of."

"How's little you?" Phoebe asked.

"She's asleep." Meredith replied, sitting down. "Today was very stressful for her."

"Meredith, what happened in the other past?" Paige asked.

"I wasn't as lucky as you." Meredith told her. "I didn't wind up with a nice family who loved me. Elementals are technically neutral. We can be swayed, but ultimately, we have to make the choice. Once evil got a hold of me, there was nothing the Elders could do. They did everything they could to make me choose evil, but one day I lost control."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"I mean, they pushed me too far and I lost control, and when elementals lose control, it's bad." Meredith said. "Imagine a fire storm, hurricane, and tornado all rolled into one and you're getting somewhere close."

"Ouch." Piper said, wincing.

"Yeah." Meredith agreed. "Well, when it was over, I had killed Anne and Frank. Left on my own, the Elders were allowed to step in and they got me to San Francisco. To you guys. And I never talked about what happened again."

She winced and closed her eyes.

"You need to lay down." Chris told her. "You used a lot of power. The backlash is not going to be pretty."

"Are sure you don't want to stay here?" Piper asked. "You can stay in the guestroom."

"Thanks, but Chris is the best at handling me during the backlash." Meredith said. "I'll be back in the morning before she wakes up. If I know her at all, she'll have a lot of questions."

"Okay." Piper said.

"I should get going to." Phoebe said, standing up. "Before Jason notices I'm gone."

Phoebe hugged Meredith.

"Feel better sweetie." She said, getting up.

"Bye, Aunt Phoebe." She said.

Phoebe motioned to Paige, who reached over and orbed them away. Meredith sighed as Chris helped her to her feet.

"Thank you, Aunt Piper." She said sincerely. "For everything."

Piper smiled and hugged her.

"You are very welcome." She told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Meredith agreed.

Chris wrapped his arm around her and orbed her out.

Piper sighed and walked out.

A/N: Okay, so let me know. Also, I forgot the shout out so:

Congratulations shereelouise60!

Next mile marker is 110.


	28. Prince Charmed 1

Disclaimer: I will give anything to own Charmed, as long as Drew Fuller comes in this deal.

Ch. 27:

"Hey there, little one." Meredith said as she walked into her room. "Time to get up."

Mer slowly stirred.

"Where am I?"she asked sleepily.

"You're at your new home." Meredith told her, sitting next to her on the bed. "Remember, we came and got you yesterday?"

"Frank and Anne." Mer said, her face scrunched in confusion. "They're gone?"

"Forever." Meredith assured her. "They won't be able to hurt you again."

"They no hurt." Mer said, shrinking back. "No hurt."

"Shh." Meredith said, soothing her. "You don't have to hide anymore. I know what they did to you."

"I was bad." Mer protested.

"No, you weren't." Meredith told her. "You are a very good little girl and they were the bad ones."

"Frank and Anne…bad?" Mer asked, her voice small.

"Very bad." Meredith assured her. "No child should be treated the way they treated you. But it's over. The people here, they are going to love you. They're going to take good care of you. You're going to be so happy."

"How you know?" Mer demanded.

"Because, they took me in." Meredith told her. "They made me part of their family. They loved me. Now they'll love you."

"Who are you?" Mer demanded.

"I told you, I'm Meredith." The older woman told her.

"You can do what I can do." Mer said. "You make things go boom and catch on fire. Can you make it rain and blow too?"

"Can you show me what you can do?" Meredith asked instead of answering.

Mer's face took on a deep look of concentration until a small tornado appeared in between the two girls. It only lasted a few seconds before disappearing as Mer took deep breaths.

"That's very good." Meredith told her. "But it makes you tired, right?"

"Yes." Mer replied, nodding.

"Okay, well, why don't you get dressed, we'll go get breakfast, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the family and then we'll talk more about what you can do." Meredith said. "That sound good?"

Mer nodded and Meredith helped her off the bed.

"I really don't hafta go back to Frank and Anne?" Mer asked quietly.

"I promise you." Meredith said, kneeling in front of her. "You will never see them again. Now, let's get dressed."

* * *

"Hey!" Phoebe said as Meredith came down the stairs, holding Mer. "There's our little girl!"

"Mer, you remember Aunt Phoebe from last night?" Meredith said.

"Hi!" Phoebe said happily, waving.

"Hi." Mer replied shyly, returning the wave.

"You're scaring the poor girl." Paige said, swatting her sister's arm.

"And the woman picking on Aunt Phoebe is Aunt Paige." Meredith told the little girl.

"Hi, honey." Paige told her.

Mer opted to just wave this time.

"Good morning." Piper called.

She came downstairs, carrying Wyatt.

"Okay, that lady is Aunt Piper." Meredith told Mer. "The little boy is Wyatt."

"Wyatt, that's Meredith." Piper told her son. "She's going to be living with us."

"Aunt Meredith?" the little boy asked.

"No, sweetie, a different Meredith." Piper told him. "You can call her Mer, okay? Say hi."

"Hi, Mer." Wyatt said softly.

"Hi." Mer replied.

There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared. As the light appeared, Mer shied away.

"It's okay." Meredith told her. "It's called orbing. Lots of people around here can do it. It won't hurt you. And that man is Uncle Leo."

"Hi, little one." Leo said, smiling, before turning to the sisters. "I took care of the mess left in New York. As far as Social Services is concerned, Anne and Frank skipped town, leaving Meredith alone. Paige was a family friend who was in town and decided to take Meredith with her. We'll make sure the paperwork for her to be put into your custody as her foster mother is taken care of quickly."

"Thank you, Leo." Piper told him.

"No problem." He replied. "I have to get back."

Piper nodded and he kissed Wyatt's forehead.

"It was nice meeting you." He told Mer.

He orbed away, and this time, the little girl watched the process with interest.

"Chris, breakfast." Meredith called.

A second later, the young man appeared.

"I heard something about food?" he asked.

"You are so predictable." Meredith said, shaking her head. "Mer, this is Chris. He's a very good friend."

"Hi, little one." Chris said, taking the little girl's hand and shaking it.

Meredith chuckled and he looked at her.

"What?" he demanded.

"Sorry." She said, smiling. "It's just, 'Hi, little one'."

"What about it?" he asked.

"Leo used that exact same phrase to greet her." She told him.

She and the sisters laughed as Chris's face took on a look of horror.

"Come on." She said to the little girl. "Let's get you fed."

The family sat down at the dining room table while Meredith and Piper put Wyatt and Mer at the little table. When Piper put down the food, Mer immediately began eating quickly.

"Mer, slow down." Meredith told her. "I know you're hungry, but if you eat that fast, it'll upset your tummy."

The little girl nodded, but only slowed by a fraction.

"You'd think she hadn't eaten in days." Paige said.

"She might not have." Meredith said, shrugging. "Frank and Anne weren't the best foster parents ever, remember? Plus she made me a mini tornado earlier. That alone would make her hungry."

"She can already exhibit that much control?" Chris asked.

Meredith nodded.

"She had to learn control." She told him. "They'd hit her when she didn't."

The rest of the table somberly watched the little girl eat.

"You should've told us." Piper said finally. "We would've gotten her out faster."

"I didn't want to risk changing the time line any more than need be." Meredith replied. "I knew that even if you couldn't get her out, eventually she'd vanquish them and be brought here."

"How could you know that you wouldn't change something that would affect that?" Phoebe asked.

"I didn't." Meredith replied. "But I-she is the strongest elemental to be born in over a century. There was no way the Elders were going to let go of me without a fight. I just had to trust that they're as stubborn as I think they are."

"Probably a safe bet." Paige muttered.

"Exactly." Meredith said.

The adults went back to eating and finally finished just as the children began throwing their food at each other. Well, Wyatt threw his food, and Mer would use the wind to throw it back at him, at which point he would orb it away.

"I would like to take this moment to apologize for whatever my younger self is going to do in the next few years." Meredith said as she snapped her fingers and the food went up in smoke. "Believe me when I tell you she will feel bad in about 15 years."

"Good to know." Piper said.

Mer pointed her finger at Meredith and her shirt caught on fire. Meredith sighed and summoned water to put it out as the sister jumped up to help her, only to stop when they saw it was under control.

"Okay, first lesson." Meredith said, kneeling down in front of her younger self. "While that didn't hurt me, that will hurt other people if you do it. You have to be careful with your powers. Fire may not hurt us, but it can kill other people, understand?"

Mer nodded, wincing away from Meredith. The other woman gently reached out and took her hand.

"No one is going to hit you here." she told her softly. "But you have to be careful not to hurt other people."

Mer nodded before hugging Meredith.

"I sorry." She said softly.

"It's alright." Meredith told her, returning the hug. "Just promise you'll be careful."

"I promise." The girl said.

"Okay, so now that you've been fed, let's work on your powers, okay?" Meredith said.

Mer nodded and Meredith took her hand, leading her into the conservatory. Wyatt took it upon himself to follow them, but him mom stopped him.

"It's alright." Meredith told her. "He'll protect himself if he needs to."

Piper sighed, but let the little boy go, while Chris followed and she and her sisters cleaned up the table.

"Okay, you've showed me you can control the wind and fire, but what about water, earth, and electricity?" Meredith asked. "Can you call water for me?"

* * *

The sisters were talking in the kitchen when they heard a loud crash.

"I can fix that!" Meredith yelled.

They ran outside to see the conservatory filling with water. Surprisingly though, everyone was dry.

"Meredith!" Piper shrieked.

"It's alright." Meredith told her. "I've got it under control."

The water was pouring out of a wall which had burst open. Meredith raised her hand and the water receded until it formed a bandage of sorts around the break made out of water.

"That'll hold for now." She said. "At least until I can fix it."

She looked around and saw that Mer was trying very hard to stay awake. Meredith sighed and picked her up.

"I guess next time we should do this outside, huh?" she said, wincing. "Come on, let's get you upstairs to take a nap."

Piper sighed.

"Leo set up another bed in the nursery." She told Meredith. "You can put her down there."

Meredith nodded.

"At least nothing got damaged." She told her foster Aunt. "There are some perks to having an elemental in the house."

"Yeah, yeah." Piper said, waving her hand as Meredith walked towards the stairs.

"I'll meet you back at the club." Chris called after her before orbing away.

"Yeah, we better be going too." Phoebe said, hugging Piper. "We're going to go shopping. Call if you need anything."

"I will." Piper promised.

Paige and Phoebe orbed away just as Meredith came back down the stairs.

"Chris and I were going to do some recognizance." She told Piper. "Mer is out like a light and she'll probably sleep for a few hours. Are you alright here by yourself?"

"I'm fine." Piper assured her. "Be careful."

"Will do." Meredith replied. "And I'll pick up what I need to fix the wall. Promise."

She smiled, stepping into the shadows and disappearing.

Piper sighed and looked at the hole in her wall before looking at Wyatt.

"Wanna take a nap?" she asked, picking him up. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Piper stood next to a snow-covered tree as a very handsome man walked by with a pair of skis over his shoulders.

"Come on," he beckoned. "Let's go skiing."

"Uh, I want to, but…" she said.

"But what?" he asked. "What's holding you back?"

"Ma-ma…" Piper heard.

"Wyatt?" she called.

"A'nt Piper!"

"Mer!" Piper yelled.

She looked around as the man slowly stepped back.

"He must be pretty special…" he said. "For you to give up everything."

The man disappeared, leaving Piper alone.

"Mama!"

Piper looked around again.

_Flash_

Piper jumped out of bed as she heard Wyatt and Meredith cry over the baby monitor.

"Wyatt!" she yelled, running out of her room.

She ran into the nursery to find a man in a robe standing over Wyatt, who was protecting himself and Mer in his crib with his shield. The man was holding a scepter that was emitting a pink light that hit the shield and dissipated.

"Wyatt!" she yelled.

The man held his hands above his head and dropped the scepter. As it fell, it disappeared. Piper quickly blew him up and ran to Wyatt's crib.

"It's okay." She said, picking up Wyatt and stroking Mer's head. "Mer, how did you get into the crib?"

"Wyatt orb me." The little girl said, still hiccupping. "I no like, but bad man bad."

"Okay." Piper said. "It's okay now. The bad man's gone." She sighed. "He's gone."

A/N: So what do you guys think? Let me know.

Shout Out goes to, drum roll please:

FishluvsJasperCullen!

Congrats! Next it 120, so let's do it!

Abbey


	29. Prince Charmed 2

Disclaimer: I wish.

Ch. 28:

Piper sat in the nursery, holding Wyatt on her lap as Meredith lay curled up on her bed. She gently played with his fingers, sampling sitting with him. Finally, she set him down in his crib, tucking him in gently. She tickled his forehead before straightening and walking over to Meredith. She gently stroked the sleeping girl's hair before kissing her forehead. She looked around until her eyes landed on a picture of her, Leo, and Wyatt, and next to it a picture of Wyatt and Meredith playing together.

She stared at it for awhile longer before turning back to Wyatt and Meredith.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Phoebe pushed the front door open and walked inside, her arms full of groceries. Paige followed her inside, also carrying a box of groceries.

"I think she's upstairs." Phoebe whispered.

"Ow!" Paige exclaimed. "I just got a neck spasm."

"Don't drop the bag." Phoebe ordered. "She'll hear you."

"Thanks for your concern." Paige told her sarcastically.

"Are you okay?"

Sheila Morris walked into the house behind them, carrying an arm load of groceries and party supplies, followed by Darryl.

"Yeah." Paige replied. "It just, sometimes it flares up under stress."

"Yeah, and you've got enough stress in your life, that's for damn sure." Darryl said.

They all deposited their bags on the dining room table.

"With what you guys do, I'm surprised it doesn't flare up all the time." Sheila said.

"It's not the demons, it's this birthday stuff." Paige told her. "Especially Piper's. I always screw up the surprise."

"I'll take these to the kitchen." Darryl said.

"Oh, thanks." Phoebe said as he passed.

"Plus, I have no idea what I'm gonna get her, and obviously time is running out." Paige continued.

"Paige, I told you, you could come in on the dinner with me." Phoebe told her. "I don't mind."

"I appreciate that, but I don't want to jump on your bandwagon." Paige replied. "I'm gonna do my own thing."

"Well, being a mom, I can tell you that a nice, normal dinner with friends and family is the perfect gift." Sheila told them. "Especially since you guys don't live here anymore."

"No, the perfect gift actually doesn't exist anymore." Phoebe said.

"Do tell?" Paige asked.

"Hey, do these go?" Darryl asked, pointing at some bags.

"Uh, no." Phoebe told him. "Grab those two."

"Okay." Darryl said, grabbing the bags she pointed to.

"It's a charm bracelet…" Phoebe said, answering Paige's question, "that mom gave to Piper and Piper loved it, but then Prue lost it."

"Why don't we just cast a-?" Paige asked.

"A lost-and-found spell?" Phoebe finished. "I tried. It didn't work."

"Is Jason coming to the party?" Sheila asked.

"No." Phoebe replied sadly. "He's in some faraway land, like Zimbabwe or something."

"Must be fun." Sheila said. "You guys travel all over the world together."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "It's-It's nice. I just-I really miss home. I'm happy to be here right now."

"Is your beau coming?" Darryl asked Paige.

"Richard?" she asked. "No. He's, uh, kind of got a bit of a problem with magic. Or it has a problem with him."

"He doesn't like it?" Darryl asked.

"No." Paige replied. "Magic just doesn't like him. It's a long story."

"So it's just us, then?" Sheila asked.

"Uh, what about Leo?" Darryl asked.

"Yeah, we kind of thought that that was inappropriate." Phoebe said.

A door closed upstairs and they heard footsteps, so Phoebe quickly shooed Darryl and Sheila out the door."

"That's her." She hissed. "Out! Out! Hurry! Hurry!"

"We'll see you tomorrow." Darryl said.

"Go!" Phoebe told them before turning to her sister. "Paige, the groceries."

Paige quickly grabbed them and orbed out.

"Hey." Phoebe said, casually leaning against the banister as Piper came down the stairs.

"Hey." Piper replied. "How's that surprise party going?"

She walked past Phoebe, who's smile had frozen, and headed towards the kitchen.

"Ooh." Phoebe winced, quickly following her.

* * *

In the kitchen, Paige was quickly hiding bags in the cabinets as Piper entered, Phoebe on her heels.

"What do you mean 'surprise party'?" Phoebe demanded as Paige quickly shut the doors and stood up. "There's no surprise party!"

"Just do me a favor and don't invite Greg or any other guys for that matter, because I'm done with them." Piper told her.

"I'm sorry?" Paige asked.

"It's kind of an epiphany I had, um, right after I vanquished a demon in Wyatt and Mer's room." Piper said as she moved about the kitchen.

"Wait, excuse me?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"You know, an epiphany." Piper told her. "A revelation."

"I know about the epiphany." Phoebe shot back. "What do you mean, a demon?"

"Okay, why didn't you call us?" Paige demanded.

"Well, I didn't want to bother you." Piper said. "It's no big deal. I blew him up. He's gone."

"Okay, do you know that every time you say that, they come back with a vengeance?" Paige asked.

"Kiss of death." Phoebe agreed.

"It doesn't matter, because I'm on it full-time now." Piper told them. "I'm actually thinking of selling the club, 'cause I have a new mission in life, and it's all become very clear to me."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Paige asked, confused.

"Do you guys know that Wyatt called me 'Mama'?" Piper asked.

"He did?" Phoebe asked, happily distracted. "Oh, his first word."

"Right after he was attacked." Piper told her. "I don't think I'm gonna be putting THAT in his baby book."

She strode out of the kitchen and her sisters followed.

"Okay, back to giving up guys…" Paige said.

"It's kind of freeing actually, you know, not having to play the dating game." Piper said. "Was just a big waste of time for me anyway. I mean, I gave it my best shot, I did, but it just didn't work out for me."

"Okay, that is completely ridiculous." Paige insisted. "You've been single for six months."

"No, that's fate." Piper replied. "It's my fate, and I accept it. Apparently, you only get one soul mate in a lifetime, so I guess Leo was mine. And now I'm ready to devote my life to protecting and raising Wyatt."

Piper opened the front door and checked the main box.

"Well, what about sex?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you know, I'm the mother of one of the most magical creatures ever and the adoptive aunt to one of the other most magical creatures." Piper said. "Sex rather pales in comparison, don't you think?"

She closed the door and walked away.

"She doesn't need a party, she needs an intervention." Paige muttered.

* * *

A man in dark robes stood in front an altar with light pouring out of it. Other members of the cult stood around the altar, looking at the bubble inside the light, which held Wyatt's image.

"He led us long ago." The High Priest said. "And once he returns, he will lead us again with your unwavering faith."

"Denado y sentio." The priests replied.

An acolyte stepped forward and took the scepter from the High Priest.

"Help us cleanse him of the poison that has corrupted him."

The Acolyte held the scepter and pointed it at the image of Wyatt in the bubble. A red beam left the scepter and hit the image.

"Turn him that he might lower his guard, so that we may return him to the fold, to his destiny." The High Priest said.

The bubble around the image of Wyatt disappeared and the Acolyte reached out to touch the image, only to have the force field reappeared, making the Acolyte burst into flames and explode. The scepter fell to the ground and lay there, smoking.

Finally, the High Priest reached down and picked it up, considering both the scepter and the image of Wyatt.

* * *

Phoebe walked into the attic to find Paige adding ingredients to the potion pot.

"Okay, Piper couldn't find the demon in the book." She told her. "Any luck up here?"

"Uh, actually, I'm working on something else." Paige replied.

"A vanquishing potion?" Phoebe asked.

"No." Paige replied, cheerfully.

She tossed some more ingredients in and the mixture flared.

"A birthday present." She continued smugly.

"A birthday present." Phoebe repeated. "Paige, you're not gonna be able to find the charm bracelet."

"Trust me." Paige insisted. "This will be even better. The perfect gift."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Phoebe demanded.

"I figure Piper has no love in her life right now, so I think she needs a little love back in her life." Paige explained.

"Okay, so you're making a love potion?" Phoebe asked.

"No." Paige replied. "I'm making a love machine. I am making the perfect man."

"Wait." Phoebe said. "Are you kidding me? Are you – are you out of your mind?"

"No." Paige insisted. "I don't think I am. Listen, we've conjured magical beings before, so, you know, hey, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is they always come back to bite us in the ass." Phoebe shot back.

"No, no, no, no." Paige protested. "This one won't. He's just gonna be around for her birthday from midnight to midnight."

"Paige, we can't just conjure up a sex toy." Phoebe told her sister.

"Listen." Paige told her. "I figure magic owes Piper. It has taken away the love of her life, and now it's threatening to take away love from the rest of her life. Look, I get Wyatt, and now Meredith, are super important, all right? I do get that. But – heh – I think this could be for the greater good."

"Mm-hmm." Phoebe relented.

"Okay, let's write down some qualities." Paige said.

"Qualities?" Phoebe asked. "What do you mean 'qualities'?"

"You know, qualities for the perfect man." Her sister explained.

Phoebe reached for the pad and pen on the table.

"Oh, okay." She said. "Well, I think she would want someone that, um, lives nearby, you know, and doesn't travel a lot."

"Yeah, well, I would write down something about somebody who I could do magic in front of." Paige replied. "But these are qualities that you and I would want, not qualities that Piper would necessarily want."

"Right." Phoebe agreed. "Okay, um…I think she wants, you know a strong man, but someone that's not afraid to show his sensitive side."

"Sensitive, but not a wuss bag." Paige confirmed. "Yeah."

She wrote it down on a piece of paper and threw it in the pot, making the potion poof.

"And someone that is a good listener." Phoebe added, following her sister's lead and throwing the suggestion into the pot.

"Okay." Paige said as they continued to throw paper in. "Good cook."

"Handy around the house." Phoebe added.

"Good with kids." Was Paige's suggestion.

"Gets the whole 'normal life' thing." Phoebe said.

"Has are really big-"

"Paige!" Phoebe interrupted.

"Uh!" her sister protested. "Is this the perfect guy or what?"

"All right." Phoebe agreed. "Throw it in."

The cauldron bubbled.

* * *

Piper was sitting on her bed, leafing through the Book of Shadows, while Chris standing in front of her angrily and Meredith sitting on the end of the bed. She had her eyes closed and her hands held about a foot apart, palms facing inwards. Between them, a ball of water was growing.

"How am I supposed to protect Wyatt if you don't tell me when a demon attacks him till hours later?" Chris demanded. "Not to mention what happens if little Meredith is hurt."

"Chris, I'm taking care of it." Piper told him.

"That's fine, but what happens if this demon was the one?" Chris asked. "The one who was after Wyatt? The reason I came back?"

"Well, then you're in luck, because I blew him up." Piper replied. "Not to mention – how many demons have you said that about so far?"

"That's not the point, Aunt Piper." Meredith said, not turning her attention from the globe in front of her, which now had fire mixed in with the water. "We don't know who the person who's after Wyatt is. And we won't if you don't tell us about attacks."

"I – What are you doing?" Piper demanded, distracted by the globe which now included electricity.

"Remembering my lessons." Meredith said, keeping the different elements combined. "If I'm going to teach mini me, I'll need to remember how to teach her. Keeping the elements separate, but together is one of the first things a multiple elemental learns."

She slowly brought her hands together until the globe disappeared between her hands.

"Piper." Chris said, bringing her attention back to the original subject. "We've just got Wyatt's best interest in mind."

"So do I." Piper shot back. "Demon's not in here."

She closed the book and stood up.

"What's it look like?" Meredith asked.

"Tall, robed, with a metal rod thingy." Piper replied, starting to fold the laundry.

"Really?" Chris asked sarcastically. "Well, that narrows it down."

"If another one shows up, I'll be here." Piper said calmly.

"That's just my point, Piper." Chris said. "What if you're not here? What happens if you're on a date with the fireman or whoever else you're seeing this week?"

"Chris!" Meredith hissed.

"Look, Chris, I don't want to go into it, but I'm not gonna be out on a date with the fireman or anybody else for that matter anytime soon so I can focus more on Wyatt." Piper told him.

"W-what?" Chris sputtered as Meredith's face took on a look of panic.

"Did I stutter?" Piper asked. "Meredith, are you alright? You're starting to spark."

Meredith looked down to see electricity running over her hands. She clenched her hands and the sparks disappeared as she got her composure again.

"You can't give up on love, Aunt Piper." She said fervently. "Not now, not ever."

"Why not?" Piper asked.

"Because you just can't, that's why." Chris told her. "It's not natural. Look, all I'm saying is you don't have to make that type of sacrifice to protect Wyatt."

"It's not just Wyatt anymore." Piper pointed out.

"Well, I won't let you make that kind of sacrifice for me." Meredith told her. "That's why Chris and I are here."

"Well, you weren't here earlier, were you?" Piper asked, picking up the laundry basket and heading out the door. "Look, the only thing that matters right now is what's best for Wyatt and what's best for Little Meredith."

"This is not what's best for Wyatt, Piper." Chris told her as he and Meredith followed her out and down the hallway to the nursery.

"And it sure as hell isn't what's best for me." Meredith added.

"How do you know?" Piper asked.

"Because we've seen the future, and this isn't supposed to happen." Chris told her.

"So, what is supposed to happen?" Piper demanded.

"Come on, you know I can't answer that." Chris replied.

"Well, since you're sent from the future to change it, maybe this is one of the things that needs to be changed." Piper said.

"No." Meredith insisted. "Definitely not. So not. Not ever."

"Shh!" Piper told her.

Chris sighed and Meredith threw her hands up in the air as Piper put the laundry basket down. Little Meredith was asleep in her bed and Wyatt was standing in his crib. On the dresser, she spotted a brightly wrapped gift.

"Who left this?" she asked.

"Look, if you're so concerned about protecting Wyatt, there's other ways to go about it, you know?" Chris said.

Piper slipped the card out of the envelope and began reading it.

"Like what?" Piper asked, distractedly.

"Like letting Leo take him up there for awhile." Chris suggested. "Or.."

He moved towards Wyatt and the boy raised his shield. Meredith quickly pulled him back with a glare and went to the boy, who quickly lowered his shield to let her near.

"You could always bind his powers." Chris said, looking at Wyatt thoughtfully.

Meredith stared at him, horror in her face.

"Leo left me a birthday present." Piper said, not paying attention to them. "How sweet."

"What do you think about what I said?" Chris asked.

"About what?" Piper replied.

"About binding Wyatt's powers?" Chris repeated.

"No way." Piper said instantly.

"Why not?" Chris pushed. "Nobody would ever be after him, and you'd have your life back."

"But that would be selfish of me, wouldn't it, to put my needs before his destiny?" Piper asked. "I'm not being a martyr, Chris. Really, I'm not. I just get it now. I'm the mother of a very special child that, if I do my job right, is going to grow up to do very special things. What could possibly be more important than that?"

All the fight went out of Chris and he didn't replied.

"Piper, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Chris." Meredith said softly.

Without waiting for an answer, she reached over and took Chris's arm and they both disappeared into the shadows. Wyatt gurgled from his crib and Piper went to check on him.

"Sweetie, you go back to sleep…" she told him. "I will be right back."

She walked over to Meredith and gently kissed her forehead before shutting off the lamp and leaving.

* * *

Meredith and Chris appeared in the empty park, underneath their tree and Chris quickly pulled away.

"I hate traveling that way." He complained.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Meredith demanded angrily. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"We could bind Wyatt's powers?" she shot back. "Are you insane? This was not the plan!"

"Plans change." He replied simply.

"Not from saving Wyatt from evil to striping him of his birthright, they don't!" she said. "What could possibly be gained from binding Wyatt's powers?"

"Oh, I don't know, the whole world?" Chris replied angrily. "Jesus, Meredith!"

"Just because you bind his powers, it doesn't mean they're going to suddenly forget about him!" she told him. "He's still going to be a target, and without his powers, he doesn't have a chance in hell of protecting himself!"

"Without his powers, he can't take over the world." Chris said. "Without his powers, Jenny might still be alive."

"This isn't what we're supposed to be doing, Chris." Meredith told him. "We're supposed to be saving him."

"Well, maybe I don't want to save him!" Chris told her angrily. "Maybe for once, I'd like to be the important one!"

Meredith stared at him.

"Is that what this is about?" she asked softly. "The second born mentality? If only I could be better than my brother? Is that what this is all about? Because if it is, you're on your own. I hate to tell you this, but you can't possibly full-fill his destiny."

"Why the hell not?" Chris demanded. "He's not the only twice-blest! I'm the son of a Charmed One and a Whitelighter too? Why does no one seem to remember that?"

"Because it's his destiny to lead, not yours!" Meredith yelled at him.

He turned away from her and she sighed. Finally she walked over and hesitantly laid her hands on his arms. When he didn't pull away, she took a deep breath.

"Chris, if Wyatt had turned out the way he was supposed to, do you think either of us would've hesitated to give him our full hearted allegiance?" she asked softly. "He was supposed to be our savior, Chris. Our King. If he had been what his destiny meant him to be, I would have given him my loyalty freely, and so would you've."

She turned him around to face her and gently reached up to caress his cheek.

"You and I were never meant to lead." She told him softly. "We should've been his lieutenants. We should've been standing at his side as we brought this world into a new age. One of peace, not war. That's the world we're supposed to be fighting for."

He looked away, but she forced him to look at her again.

"I love you, Chris, but I won't help you take your brother's place." She told him seriously. "You and I were meant to stand behind him, not take his birthright from him. Do you understand me?"

Chris sighed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, but his face didn't lose he didn't answer her.

* * *

Phoebe added something to the potion and it exploded.

"Okay." She said. "I can't think of anything else."

"One more thing-" Paige said, picking up a clear glass bottle. "…magical pheromones."

"Magical pheromones?" Phoebe repeated.

"Yeah, see?" Paige said. "It's just one thing to give him an extra shot, to help Piper be a little bit more receptive since he's only got a day."

"I hope we're doing the right thing." Phoebe worried. "I hope this doesn't backfire, you know?"

Paige added the last ingredient and the potion was finished.

"I don't think it will." She said. "If this were a date, honey, this would be the martini."

The clock chimed midnight.

"Okay…" Phoebe said.

They both began to recite the spell.

"_A perfect man we summon now,  
Another way we don't know how,  
To make your sister see the light,  
Somewhere out there is Mr. Right."_

Swirling orbs rose from the pot and moved above their heads to settle in front of them. Finally, the lights coalesced into Mr. Right, crouching low, completely naked. He slowly stood up and looked around.

"Hello." He said.

"Perfect." The Sisters said breathily.

He smiled and they smiled back at him.

A/N: Okay, so I know it's been forever! I'm sorry! My Doctor Who story is on hiatus until the season is over, so I promise to work on this one! Please don't kill me!

Abbey


	30. Prince Charmed 3

Disclaimer: Leave me alone, you nut jobs!

Ch. 29:

Paige and Phoebe followed their sister's present into the dining room, giving him last minute instructions as he carried a breakfast tray up to Piper.

"Okay." Paige said. "So, remember, she's gonna freak."

"Big time." Phoebe added.

"So you just get as close as you can to her…" Paige continued.

"Get really, really, really close." Phoebe interjected.

"And you just let those pheromones do their magic." Paige told him.

"So you can do your magic." Phoebe said.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and he turned to face them.

"Ladies, ladies, please." He said. "You created me to know exactly what Piper wants. Don't worry. Mmm?"

"Mmm…" Paige agreed.

Mr. Right turned and made his way up the stairs as Phoebe watched him go with interest.

"Mmm…" she murmured.

"I have a question for you." Paige asked.

"Huh?" she replied, distractedly.

"Since when is Piper into Hot Latin Types?" her sister asked.

"Since I put in the 'Hot Latin Type' ingredient." Phoebe replied.

"Oh, Phoebe." Paige sighed.

"What, are you complaining?" Phoebe demanded.

* * *

Piper was half-asleep, her eyes fluttering, as Mr. Right nudged the bedroom door open. He walked into the room, carrying the breakfast tray.

"Happy birthday, Piper." He said in a low voice.

Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up as Mr. Right set the tray on the bed next to her. He settled himself on the bed and she grabbed the sheet, clutching it to her chest.

"Eggs Benedict." He told her, pointing to the items on the tray. ""Easy yoke, steamed asparagus, fresh fruit, orange juice, no pulp. How did I do?"

"PHOEBE!" Piper yelled. "PAIGE!"

Both her sisters walked in guiltily from where they had been standing in the hallway.

"Yeah?" Phoebe asked innocently.

"Wh-what's going on?" Piper demanded. "Who is this?"

"Well, uh, this is your birthday present…heh-heh…from me!" Paige told her. "Although, you know, Phoebe helped."

"The breakfast?" Piper asked hopefully.

"No, the muchahco." Paige replied.

Piper quickly got out of bed and pulled on her robe.

"Wait." She said, chuckling in disbelief. "You…you…you…hired a guy for my birthday?"

"No, we would never 'hire' a guy for your birthday." Phoebe assured her.

"We made him." Paige said. "Magically."

Mr. Right smiled at Piper while she stared at them in shock.

"Uh, you know what?" Phoebe said nervously. "This is Paige's present for you. Mine's the surprise birthday party."

"I know." Mr. Right told Piper. "You're pretty mad, aren't you?"

Piper glared at her sisters and stormed out of the bedroom.

"You-" Phoebe called after her.

"Traitor." Paige told Phoebe.

"I knew we should have used more pheromones!" Phoebe declared.

She quickly ran after Piper.

"Hey." Paige said to Mr. Right. "You. Vamonos."

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room.

* * *

Piper stormed down the stairs, Phoebe right on her heels, and Paige pulling Mr. Right after them.

"Piper, wait!" Phoebe called.

"No!" Piper shot back. "Not until you send him back to wherever the hell you conjured him from."

"We can't." Paige told her. "Not until your birthday's over."

"Yeah, so why not take advantage of him while you can?" Phoebe suggested.

Piper glared at her.

"I mean, figuratively speaking." Phoebe added.

"Ah, hell, literally." Paige said. "It is your birthday."

"I can't believe you guys did this." Piper said. "Did you not hear me yesterday?"

"No, we did, loud and clear." Phoebe confirmed.

"Yeah, we just wanted you to change your mind." Paige added.

"So you whipped up a magical gigolo?" Piper demanded.

"Oh, criminy, just give him a chance." Paige told her.

"How could you resist him?" Phoebe asked. "Did you look at him?"

"This is like something we would do years ago, before we knew better." Paige told them. "But now we do know better. At least we're supposed to."

"You know what?" Paige said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

She reached up and pushed her sister right into the arms of Mr. Right, who quickly wrapped his arms around Piper to keep her from falling.

"Whoa!" Piper gasped. "Whoa!"

"I'm sorry." He told her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…no, I'm pissed, remember?" Piper said, her voice going soft. "Are you wearing cologne?"

"No, I don't, do I?" Piper murmured.

"But what does she like?" Phoebe prompted.

She and Paige stared at him, silently urging him on.

"Well, she likes…long walks on the beach…" he said thoughtfully. "Shopping at the embarcadero…lunching at Zuni…deep tissue massages."

Piper's sisters both giggled.

"Well…that-that-that-yeah-that sounds great, but-" she sputtered.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Mr. Right asked.

"No!" Piper protested. "I can't…'cause, uh, the demon."

"We'll take care of the demon." Phoebe assured her. "It's done."

"Well, what about Wyatt and Meredith?" Piper asked. "I can't just leave them."

"Can't we take them with us?" Mr. Right asked. "You know maybe go to the fair…or…perhaps, the zoo, hmm?"

Piper stared at him for a moment before laughing slightly.

"I'll get dressed." She relented.

"I'll get the little ones…" Mr. Right told her. "Unless you don't want me to."

"No, no." Piper answered immediately. "You can get them."

"Okay." He said happily. "Excuse me, girls."

He moved past Phoebe and Paige and made his way up the stairs in front of Piper.

"Yeah." Phoebe said breathily. "Bye."

"Bye." Paige agreed.

"Oh…" Phoebe sighed.

"Cool your jets, lady." Paige told her sister. "It's for Piper."

"Right." Phoebe said, snapping out of it. "Stay on target. Yeah."

* * *

Chris was laying on the bed, flipping through Meredith's family Book of Shadows, while she sat on the floor, concentrating on the fire that danced in front of her. He sighed and closed the book with a snap and got up to kneel next to her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, kissing her neck softly.

He grinned when the fire sputtered and grew slightly before Meredith got it back under control.

"Still going over my lessons." She told him, glaring at him without much real conviction.

She turned back to the flame and it shifted into half an yin yang symbol. A second later, water appeared and formed the second half.

"Very good." He told her, shifting so he was sitting behind her. "But how does making pictures help?"

"I know you were absorbed in your own lessons back then, but you could've paid just a little more attention to what I was learning." She told him, sighing. "These pictures take amazing amounts of control to create. Control is paramount for an elemental. Without it, our powers could get away from us and take out everything around us. These exercises help teach that control. Control is everything."

She snapped her fingers and the fire and water disappeared. She leaned back and rested against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. They sat in silence as he simply held her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked finally.

She stared up at him.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" he replied, chuckling. "I'll go get us lunch."

She nodded and let him pull away. After he had orbed away, she went back to her exercises.

* * *

Chris, meanwhile, made a detour on the way to get lunch. He appeared on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge and started calling for Leo. Finally, the man appeared in a flash of orbs.

"Oh, finally." Chris said. "I've been trying to get your attention for hours, man. Where have you been?"

"What's up?" Leo asked.

"What's up?" Chris repeated. "Your son was attacked yesterday."

"What?" Leo demanded.

"Don't worry." Chris told him. "He's fine. Piper vanquished the demon."

"Who was he?" Leo asked.

"That's the problem." Chris replied. "He's not in the Halliwell Book of Shadows or Meredith's family's."

"Well, we have to figure out who he is in case there's another attempt." Leo insisted.

"On that point, I have a radical suggestion." Chris said. "A way of protecting Wyatt from any and all future attempts."

"I'm listening." Leo replied.

"We get the sisters to bind Wyatt's powers." Chris said.

"Heh…no way." Leo replied instantly.

"C'mon, Leo." Chris pushed. "Binding Wyatt's powers solves both problems. Believe me."

"No." Leo told him. "Wyatt wasn't brought into this world to be bound. I can't condone that…unless there's something you're not telling me."

Chris remained silent.

"All right, then we need to figure out who's after Wyatt." Leo continued.

They were distracted then by Meredith stepping out of the shadows.

"I take it, by the fact that you're on top of a bridge and not at the nearest Chinese place, that I'm not getting lunch?" she asked, glaring at Chris.

"Sorry, I got distracted." He told her, wincing.

"Distracted my ass." She replied.

"It's a very nice ass." He told her, grinning and hoping it would get him out of trouble.

"And you can bite it." She told him.

"Maybe later." He shot back.

"Cute." She said. "What the hell are we doing?"

"We're apparently going to find out who attacked Wyatt." He told her.

"How?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"Right here…" Leo said. "Above the din of the city."

He turned around and looked out at the city below. The other two turned to look as well.

"That's why I come up here." He told them. "Just close your eyes…rely on your inner senses."

Chris looked doubtful, but he and Meredith watched as Leo closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Listen to the wind…" he told them.

"Wind…" Meredith repeated thoughtfully. "I wonder…"

"What?" Chris asked.

"Well, air." She said.

"Yeah?" he said, sighing.

"It's an element." She said. "I once read about an air elemental who could scry on the wind. I'm just wondering if that would work in this case."

"It's similar to what I'm doing." Leo confirmed. "Do you know how to do it?"

"I know the theory, but I've never tried it." Meredith said, shrugging. "Air's one of my weaker elements. I tend to do best with fire."

"Well, you can try while Chris and I search." Leo told her. "You might see something we can't hear."

She nodded and sat down as Chris closed his eyes and followed Leo's example. Meredith reached out to the wind around her.

Suddenly, she was assaulted by images.

"So much…" she whispered.

Leo and Chris opened their eyes to look at her. They watched as her eyes flitted to focus on far off sights. Suddenly she winced and Chris kneeled down next to her.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Pain." She whispered. "Cruelty."

Chris glanced up at Leo and saw that the Elder looked worried.

"She needs to focus on what we're looking for." He told the younger man. "She's distracted by all the images coming at her."

Tears started to fall down the young woman's cheeks.

"Mer…" Chris said, taking her hand. "It's alright. I'm here. Just concentrate. Look for the demons after Wyatt."

Meredith's eyes continued to move as she searched. She winced again and her eyes began to move even more quickly.

"Pull her back." Leo told Chris. "She's losing control."

"No." Chris replied, taking her other hand. "She can do this. Mer, it's just like the exercises earlier. It's all about control. You can do it. Just concentrate. I'm here. Just focus. It's just an exercise."

Meredith took a deep breath and squeezed his hands. A second later, her eyes slowed. Suddenly they stopped as she found what she was looking for.

_The acolytes stood around the altar, chanting, as one of them held the scepter in his hand in front of the image of Wyatt encased in his force field. Suddenly, the acolyte screamed and exploded in a ball of flame. The scepter fell to the ground._

_The rest of the group continued to chant as the High Priest casually picked up the scepter. Without turning, he whispered to the acolyte standing behind him._

"_We're running out of volunteers." He said._

"_If we can't turn the model, if we can't get it to lower its guard, we won't be able to turn the child, either." The acolyte replied._

"_I find your lack of faith disturbing." The High Priest told him._

"Seen Star Wars one too many times, have we?" Meredith muttered.

Chris and Leo exchanged a look, but she was totally focused on what she was seeing.

"_It is because of my faith that I raise the concern, your eminence." The acolyte told the High Priest. "The acolytes grow restless, the search has been long. Without reassurance that he can be converted, their evil may splinter off, scatter."_

"_What do you suggest?" the High Priest asked._

"_Another encounter with the child – to read his mind again, to better see how his morals have been twisted." The acolyte told him. "I offer myself to the cause."_

"_Your sacrifice will be rewarded." The High Priest told him, handing him the scepter. "But the witches will be prepared this time, which means you'll have to go in as someone they know…trust."_

_Suddenly, the High Priest stiffened, looking around._

Meredith wrenched herself away from Chris, but he quickly grabbed her again to keep her from falling off the tower.

"What did you see?" he asked.

"My lunch going up in smoke." Meredith replied.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder as Leo and Chris exchanged a look.

* * *

"What is it?" The acolyte asked the High Priest.

"A presence." He replied. "It's gone now."

He stood silently for a moment.

"Who shall I go as?" the acolyte asked finally.

The High Priest turned back to the hologram and pulled up a image of Darryl.

"Him." He replied.

* * *

Phoebe was on the phone as Paige walked around the kitchen, carrying an open box full of crystals.

"Fly to New York right now?" Phoebe was saying. "Jason, oh, you're so cute. I would love to, but – "

"But she's busy setting a demonic alarm system." Paige interrupted.

She left and started putting crystals along the walls of the conservatory as Phoebe glared after her.

"Heh heh." She said into the phone. "No. She said we're busy watching a mechanic set up an alarm system. You know, us girls can never be too careful. Baby, can I call you back later? Okay, I love you, too. Bye."

She hung up and glared at Paige.

"Cute." She told her. "Very cute."

"Just trying to help out." Paige said innocently.

"What, are you trying to blow my secret?" Phoebe demanded.

"Well, you said yourself you're gonna have to tell him sooner or later." Paige replied.

"Yeah, but I want to be the one to tell him, not AT&T." Phoebe said, following her into the sitting room. "Hey, why are you in such a good mood?"

"Well, it's nice to practice magic without feeling guilty." Paige said, sighing. "Guess we all have guy problems, right?"

Leo and Chris chose that moment to orb in, Meredith stepping out of the shadows a second later.

"Where's Piper?" Leo demanded.

"Uh, she's out." Phoebe said cagily. "Why?"

"Because we know who attacked Wyatt, and we think they're gonna attack again." Chris said.

"Who?" Paige demanded.

"A demonic cult called The Order." Leo replied. "They used to be the most powerful force until their leader was vanquished."

"And guess what?" Chris said, reaching down and picking up Wyatt's rattle. "They think he's been reincarnated."

"Wyatt?" Paige asked.

Chris nodded.

"He still young enough to be turned." Meredith asked. "Where is Wyatt and mini-me? Are they with Piper?"

The door opened at this moment.

"Anybody home?" Piper called.

The group moved towards the hallway as Piper came inside, wearing a balloon hat and carrying lots of bags.

"A little help here, please?" she called.

"Where have you been?" Paige asked as she and Phoebe took the bags.

"Well, everywhere." Piper said as they moved inside. "Actually, first we went shopping for some things for little Meredith. And then we went for a boat ride, and then we had a picnic in the park, and then we stopped at the fair."

"Piper?" Meredith interrupted.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Where am I and Wyatt?" Meredith asked.

"Oh, they're coming." Piper replied.

Right on cue, Mr. Right came in singing as he pushed Wyatt in his stroller and Mer walked beside them, holding his hand. There was a balloon tied to the stroller and both Wyatt and Mer's faces were painted, Wyatt's with whiskers and Mer's with feathers.

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Mr. Right was singing and Mer happily following his instructions as she tried to clap her hands while still holding his. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands…"

He looked up and saw everyone staring at him.

"Hello." He said hesitantly.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded.

"Uh, he's-he's, you know, just a date." Phoebe said, stuttering.

"A guy." Paige said at the same time.

Piper walked over to stand next to Mr. Right.

"You know, you don't have a name yet, do you?" Piper said.

"What does that mean, he doesn't have a name?" Meredith sputtered. "Why am I holding the hand of a man who doesn't have name? Mer, can you come here for a moment?"

Her younger self looked confused, but did as asked, and Meredith swept her up into her arms, moving closer to Chris.

"Why not call me David?" Mr. Right suggested to Piper. "You've always liked that name, no?"

"No-I mean, yes." Piper said. "Isn't he perfect?"

Paige and Phoebe sighed and Leo, Chris, and Meredith stared at them.

"What the hell's going on here?" Leo demanded.

"You don't have to feel threatened by me, Leo." David told him. "No one would ever replace you in Wyatt's eyes, and Piper wouldn't want anyone to."

Leo stared at him for a moment before turning to Phoebe.

"Phoebe…" he said.

"Yeah, okay." Phoebe relented. "Why don't you guys put Wyatt and Mer down for a nap? I'm sure they're really tired from all this excitement. Come on."

She motioned them forward.

David pushed the stroller forward and Meredith reluctantly handed her younger self over to Piper.

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." David continued singing as they moved away.

"And don't forget to turn off the demonic alarm system." Paige called after them. "You know, in case the baby mistakes him for a…" Piper and David left the room and she and Phoebe turned back to the other three, who were staring at them. "…Demon. All right, fine! So I made him out of my own little brew."

"HAS THIS WHOLE FAMILY GONE OFF THE DEEP END?" Meredith shouted.

"Shh!" Phoebe told her. "Piper was gonna give up on love, on her birthday, nonetheless."

"So you conjured a man?" Chris demanded.

"No, uh huh." Meredith said, rounding on him. "You do not get to be outraged after your suggestion." She rounded on the sisters. "I get to be outraged! You crazy people conjured a man?"

"No!" Paige insisted. "Not just a man. The perfect man."

Meredith threw up her hands and stalked away. Chris sighed and followed her.

"See, he's somebody who knows exactly what she wants, and he's just gonna be here long enough to straighten her out." Paige tried to explain.

"Twenty-four hours." Phoebe added. "That's it. It's great, right?"

"Yeah, not even twenty-four." Paige said. "More like eight, and then, sadly, he goes poof."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "You don't want her to live life without love, do you, Leo?"

"We'll talk about this later after we deal with The Order." Leo told her.

"Okay." Phoebe agreed.

At that moment, Darryl walked through the open door.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked stiffly. "I just wanted to drop this off."

He held up a small present.

"Darryl, why didn't you just wait till dinner?" Paige asked.

"Dinner?" he asked, seeming confused but recovering quickly. "Actually, this is for Wyatt, so he has a little something to open up, too."

"Oh, that's so sweet." Phoebe told him, stepping forward to take it.

"Shelia's idea, actually." Darryl replied, pulling the present back. "Mind if I give it to him?"

"Oh, sure." Phoebe replied. "Yeah. They're upstairs."

"Thanks." Darryl replied.

He walked past them and up the stairs.

"Don't you think maybe we should cancel the dinner party?" Chris asked as he and Meredith rejoined them.

"No." Paige replied.

* * *

Darryl walked through the hallway, taking note of the crystals in the door ways. He headed straight for Wyatt and Meredith's room, spotting the crystals in the windows.

"Shhh!" David called, stepping out. "Darryl, right?"

"Right." He replied. "How's it goin'?"

Piper stepped out of the room and saw Darryl.

"Hi." She said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just brought the little guy a present." Darryl told her.

"Oh, that's really sweet, but we just put him down for a nap." Piper told him.

"I'll sneak it in, so he can see it when he wakes up." Darryl said. "He'll never know I was here."

"Okay." Piper agreed. "You know, maybe we should pick out something that we bought for Mer today so she can open it tonight too."

"I'll go pick out one of the stuffed animals we bought." David agreed.

They both moved off and Darryl went inside. He approached the crib and Wyatt put up his force shield. Darryl checked the door way, and seeing that it was clear, morphed into the acolyte. He opened the present and took out the scepter before reaching over and turning off the baby monitor.

* * *

Piper and David made their way down the stairs and found the others waiting for them, all of them very serious.

"What's up?" Piper asked.

"We need to talk." Phoebe told her. "Wyatt may be in danger."

Piper slowed as she noticed static coming from the baby monitor.

"Why is it doing that?" Chris asked.

Piper looked down at the monitor and then up at Leo. Without another word, she turned and ran up the stairs, Leo right on her heels.

"You stay here." Leo ordered David as Meredith slipped into the shadows.

* * *

The acolyte waved the scepter above Wyatt's head and a red beam hit the force shield. Piper ran into the room and the acolyte quickly banished the scepter. Meredith stepped out the shadows and placed herself between the acolyte and her younger self and Piper quickly blew him up.

"Are they okay?" Leo asked as Piper went to check Wyatt and Meredith checked on her younger self.

"You're okay." Piper told Wyatt.

"Hey, you okay?" Meredith asked, kneeling in front of Little Meredith.

"Scared." The little girl said softly.

"Oh, I know, sweetie." Meredith said, hugging her as Chris joined them.

"Did he hurt them?" Paige asked.

"Oh." Piper said as she picked up Wyatt. "No, I think they're okay. Meredith?"

"We're okay here." Meredith replied as Chris lifted her younger self and held her.

* * *

Lightning flashed across the dark sky as the scepter appeared in the High Priest's hand.

"Success?" an acolyte asked.

"We shall see." The High Priest replied.

He pointed the scepter at the image of Wyatt in his force field and a red beam hit it. After a moment, the force field fell. The High Priest reached out and the force field remained down.

"He's ready to come home." The High Priest said, pleased.

A/N: Okay, I know it's been forever. My DW story is on hiatus, so hopefully I'll get some work done on this story. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	31. Prince Charmed 4

Disclaimer: If I promise to let all this go, can I have Drew Fuller for a day?

Ch. 30:

Meredith sat with Chris, who was sitting with Little Meredith on his lap as her older self tried to distract her. Mer, for her part, just buried her face in Chris's shoulder. Finally, Meredith gave up and just rubbed her back as Chris held her tighter. Phoebe and Paige were sitting across from them and Leo joined them in a flash of orbs a second later.

"Darryl?" Phoebe asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"He's okay." Leo assured them as they all breathed a sigh of relief. "He said they didn't get anywhere near him."

"Oh, thank god." Phoebe breathed.

"My question is, how'd they even know to impersonate him?" Paige asked.

"They must have been watching us." Meredith said as she took her younger self from Chris. "They must have wanted to see who you trusted and let near him."

"That's really creepy." Phoebe said.

"Well, it's gonna get a lot creepier if we don't stop them from getting to Wyatt." Chris said.

"We might have a thought about that." Piper said as she, Wyatt, and David joined them.

"We?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Piper replied. "Well, we've been talking, and I think we need to give Chris's idea another chance."

"No!" Meredith said with fervor. "It's not an option."

"What idea?" Phoebe asked.

"About binding Wyatt's powers." Piper said.

"What?" her sisters demanded at the same time.

"Well, I'm just saying we should consider it." Piper defended herself. "I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense."

"You can't be serious." Leo said.

"Actually, she's never been more serious." David told him.

"Excuse me, I was talking to her." Leo sneered.

"This doesn't sound like you, Piper." Paige said.

"Doesn't it?" David asked. "Piper wants to protect her son. She wants a normal life. This way she can have both."

"Chris, say something." Meredith ordered, rounding on him.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked her. "Those were my arguments."

"We already had _this_ argument." Meredith told him as the others watched the back and forth. "We agreed that binding his powers was a bad idea."

"No, you agreed." Chris told her angrily. "I still say Wyatt is safer with his powers bound."

"It's a good idea." David agreed.

"No, it's not 'a good idea'." Phoebe told him. "That's a bad one – a very, very bad one – one that's been discussed and discarded already."

"Yeah, but that was before a demonic cult started targeting him." Piper pointed out.

"What makes you think they'll stop just because you bind his powers?" Meredith demanded. "He's still the Twice-Blest."

She directed the last statement at Chris with a glare.

"Yeah, but this could be-" He started.

"Oh, what, just another big, bad, evil thing that's coming after him?" Paige interrupted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got it."

"It still isn't a good enough reason." Leo said.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Leo." Meredith said, looking pained.

"Piper thinks it is." David pointed out.

"Hey, buddy, don't forget who made you." Phoebe told him.

"That's right." Chris said, more to himself than anyone else. "You did make him, didn't you?"

"Piper, I don't understand." Phoebe said. "Yesterday, you were willing to give up everything for Wyatt's future. Why this now?"

"Well, you should know." Piper told her. "You're the one that, um, showed me what I really wanted and really need."

"She's got us there." Paige muttered.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter, 'cause it's gonna take The Power of Three to bind someone as powerful as Wyatt, and I'm not gonna support it."

"Neither am I." Paige agreed.

"Well, then, we have a problem, because I am." Piper said.

"All right." Chris said, getting to his feet. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath, okay? Leo, why don't you orb Wyatt up there until we can figure this thing out?"

"I'll take Mer, too." Leo told them.

Meredith stared at him.

"You'd do that?" she asked softly.

"She-you are a part of this family." Leo told her. "Right?"

Meredith looked at him sadly.

"Thank you." She told him in a whisper.

She glanced at Chris but he wouldn't look at her. She sighed and set Mer on the ground, kneeling in front of her.

"You're gonna go with Uncle Leo, alright?" she told the little girl.

"Wanna stay with you." The little girl told her.

"I know." Meredith told her kindly. "But Wyatt will be with Uncle Leo. You'll have more fun playing with him than staying here. So what do you say?"

Mer nodded and Meredith let her go to Leo so she could take his hand.

"Do you mind?" he asked David, who was holding Wyatt.

"No." The man replied. "Please."

Leo took Wyatt in one arm and held on to Mer's hand with the other.

"Come on." He said, orbing them away.

Meredith turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked.

"I need to get away from here and the binding-happy brigade." She said, not looking at him.

"Meredith…" he said softly.

"Don't." she told him harshly. "I'll be back for the dinner tonight."

She stepped into the shadows and melted away. Chris stared after her for a moment before squaring his shoulders and turning back to the others.

"All right." He said. "And why don't we – David, right?"

"David." The man agreed.

"Why don't you come with me and let the girls talk alone for a minute?" Chris suggested.

He led the man up the stairs, all the way up to the attic.

"So, you've got quite an influence on Piper, don't you?" he asked.

"Well, I just reflect what she wants." David replied.

Chris walked to the potions table and looked at the potion that had created David.

"Interesting." He said. "So they what? Just wrote down what she wanted, and that was that?"

"I don't know." David said, crossing his arms. "I guess."

"Huh." Chris mused. "Let's see."

He picked up the pad and wrote something down before tossing it into the cauldron. David glowed for a second as he straightened.

"Uhh!" he said in confusion. "What were we just talking about?"

"Uh…Paige and what she looks for in a man." Chris said.

"Paige." David said. "She wants a man who she can openly practice magic around…one she won't feel suppressed by."

"Good." Chris said. "Very good. And…" He wrote something else down. "What about Phoebe?"

He tossed the slip in and David glowed again.

"Phoebe." David repeated. "She wants the same thing…plus she wants him to be available to live near her home. That's what she wants."

"This potion packs a hell of a punch, doesn't it?" Chris commented. "Of course, in order for them to be with the perfect man…" He wrote something else down, "…is that they're happy with each other first, and the only way they can be happy with each other first is by…agreeing to bind Wyatt's powers."

He threw the paper in, changing David again.

"Mmm…" David murmured.

Chris turned back to the table.

"Huh." He said, spotting a vial. "Pheromones." He opened the bottle and emptied the whole thing into the pot. "Eh, what the hell."

The potion exploded again.

"Okay, off you go." Chris said, shooing David out the door.

He turned back to the table and picked up the pad again.

"Nah, she'd kill me." He muttered, setting it back down.

"Chris, we need to – " Meredith said, stepping out of the shadows.

She stopped when she saw him standing next to the potion. Her eyes focused on the empty vial and narrowed.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

* * *

The sisters were sitting at the dining room table as they talked.

"This is my son we're talking about." Piper was saying.

"Piper, you're not listening to reason." Phoebe told her.

"Phoebe, his life is in jeopardy, and binding his powers may be the only way to save him." Piper shot back.

"That's all that's saved him." Phoebe pointed out. "What about Mer? Are you going to bind her powers too?"

"Of course not!" Piper exclaimed.

"Okay, but how do you think it will be like for Wyatt, growing up with his powers bound when Meredith's aren't?" Phoebe asked. "Paige, please help me."

Paige rubbed her shoulders.

"Well, I think that – ow!" she exclaimed.

David came down the stairs and made his way over to Paige.

"Oh, here." He told her. "Allow me."

"Mmm…" Paige murmured as he started to massage her shoulders.

"Just relax, okay?" he said softly.

Standing that close to her, Paige began to react to the pheromone and she sighed.

"You keep all the tension in your shoulders." David told her as Piper grew more jealous.

"You're right." Paige agreed. "I love your cologne."

"Mm-hmm." David murmured.

Phoebe exchanged a look with Piper.

"Hey, that's my birthday present." Piper pointed out crossly.

"All day and all night." David assured her.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

The sisters turned to see Meredith stomping down the stairs with Chris following on her heels.

"Hey, what's going on?" Phoebe asked them. "Chris, I thought you were gonna keep him occupied."

"This entire family has gone completely off their heads!" Meredith seethed, glaring at Chris.

"What, I just found a way to break the impasse…" Chris said.

"Really?" Phoebe exclaimed. "How?"

"Uh…" Chris said, stepping towards David, but Meredith got between them.

"Don't do this." She whispered. "This isn't how it's supposed to play out."

"This is our best chance." He whispered back. "We have to try. That's why we're here."

"Not this way, Christopher." She told him. "Not at the expense of Wyatt's destiny."

"This is my mission, Mer." He told her harshly. "Either help or stay out of my way."

She staggered back from him in shock. She stared at him, but finally moved out of his way.

"I've never seen him in you before." She said. "Maybe I wasn't looking close enough." She hesitated for a second. "This won't work for you. It'll blow up in your face."

He looked away from her, but moved on to David, pulling him away from Paige and moving him to Phoebe. Meredith moved into the corner and wrapped her arms around herself, as if to keep herself from moving to stop him. Chris glanced at her and saw the disappointment in her eyes, but he kept going, moving David until he began massaging Phoebe's shoulders. As he leaned close, the pheromones began to work on her.

"Oh." She moaned. "Ohh…"

"Don't worry." David whispered to her. "I'm here for you, Phoebe…"

Paige watched in jealousy as David paid attention to Phoebe.

"…not off taking care of business in some faraway land." David continued.

"Yeah." Phoebe said. "I like the sound of that."

"So, what do we think about binding Wyatt's powers?" Chris asked, making sure to not look at Meredith.

The front door opened and Darryl and Shelia appeared.

"Knock, knock!" Darryl called.

"Surprise!" Sheila added.

Everyone turned to look at them and Darryl tripped over a crystal as they walked inside.

"Oh, hey, you guys need this?" Darryl asked, picking the crystal up. "Found this by the door."

Phoebe got to her feet and took the crystal to put it back.

"Yes, we need it by the door." She told him. "Don't touch our crystals."

"At least we know it's really Darryl." Paige pointed out.

David moved to massage Piper's shoulders as the other couple joined them.

"Hey." Darryl said in confusion.

"Oh, and who's he?" Sheila asked, looking at David.

"Oh!" Piper said, getting to her feet. "This is David."

"Hi." The man said, waving.

Sheila waved back awkwardly.

"Actually, guys, the dinner's been canceled." Chris said. "Sorry."

"Why?" David asked. "The girls still want to party, don't you?"

"Yeah!" everyone agreed.

"Yeah." Meredith agreed suddenly. "The party's still on."

"What are you doing?" Chris hissed.

"You started this." She told him harshly. "Now deal with the consequence."

"But the dinner hasn't even been made." Chris protested.

"Oh, I can fix that." Paige said.

She turned to the table and began chanting.

"On Piper's day, set this table,  
With all the favors you are able."

The table suddenly set, dinner and all. A large birthday cake appeared at the head of the table and party favors and decorations appeared around the room.

"Ah!" Paige said proudly. "Not bad, huh?"

"No!" Chris exclaimed. "No! This isn't right! This isn't what they want!"

Paige stepped forward and led Darryl and Sheila to the table.

"Hey, if it makes them happy, it's all I want." David said.

"But what about Wyatt?" Chris asked.

No one responded and Meredith watched him sadly.

"Anyone?" he asked.

Nothing.

* * *

The High Priest and two acolytes appeared in the nursery to find it empty.

"The child…" one of the acolytes said. "He's gone."

"Can you sense him?" the other acolyte asked the High Priest.

"No, but they won't keep him away for long." The High Priest replied. "We'll wait."

The three of them turned and vanished.

* * *

The dinner was still going on below. Very awkwardly.

David was sitting at the head of the table, with Chris pacing behind him and Meredith was leaning against the wall, her eyes downcast.

"So, how long have you known the girls?" Sheila asked David.

"Fourteen-fifteen hours, I guess." He replied.

"Did you say 'hours'?" Darryl asked.

"Mm-hmm." David agreed.

"Oh, yeah." Paige sighed. "I made him…magically."

"Actually, _we_ both made him." Phoebe said dreamily.

"For _my_ birthday." Piper pointed out.

"Hmm." Darryl said, nodding. "Hell of a gift."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "We just wanted to remind Piper of the importance of love."

"Love?" Sheila asked.

Chris continued to pace behind them, avoiding Meredith's gaze.

"A spiritual, emotional, deep-in-your-heart love." David said. "The kind you should never, ever stop searching for, Piper."

"I know." She agreed. "You're right. I know."

"You're going to have it, too." David told her. "I promise…"

Chris closed his eyes and leaned his head against the door frame. Meredith looked like she wanted to reach out to him, but she stopped herself at the last moment, her anger coming back.

So instead, she reached out and kicked him.

"Ow!" he hissed.

She just glared at him.

"…your normal life." David continued, no one paying attention to the two time travelers.

"Psst!" Phoebe hissed.

David turned to look at her, and she saw him wearing a black suit.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"What about me?" she asked.

"You shouldn't have to hide your secret anymore." He told her. "I understand you."

"I know you do." Phoebe sighed.

"What about my dinner?" Paige called.

David turned to look at her, and, in her eyes, he was wearing a leather jacket.

"Magical, Paige." He told her. "Just the way I like it."

He took a bite and hummed with pleasure.

"They're really good peas." Paige said.

"Mmm!" David agreed.

Darryl and Sheila exchanged a look.

"Ahem!" Chris said, clearing his throat. "Excuse me. Wyatt, anyone?"

"Later." David whispered.

Chris stalked away. Paige continued to stare at David, and got up and went to sit on his lap. Darryl looked at Meredith.

"Is this some kind of demonic thing?" he asked her.

"No, this is some fucked-up thing." She replied, glaring at Chris.

"This-" Chris shot back, waving his arms at the table, "wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Well, this is what you get for messing with things you have no business messing with!" Meredith growled. "This is your mess! Fix it! Without fucking up the time-space continuum, please!"

He glared at her.

"Maybe we should go." Sheila suggested.

"Good idea." Chris agreed.

Darryl nodded and got up.

"Hey, y'all need to make your own present." Piper told her sisters. "Hey, off the lap!"

She reached over and pulled Paige of David's lap. Paige retaliated by grabbing a hand full of food and shoving it in Piper's face, who gasped in surprise. Paige grabbed the birthday cake and threw it at Piper, who froze it in mid-air.

"Oh, I see!" she exclaimed. "You're gonna play with cake now!"

Piper picked the cake out of the air and threw it at Paige.

"Cake!" Paige called, deflecting the projectile into Phoebe's face.

Darryl and Shelia stared at the sisters in disbelief. Piper was laughing as Phoebe sputtered and wiped cake from her face.

"Hey, girls, girls." David said. "Come on! There's plenty of me to go around."

All three sisters began to throw food, and Darryl and Sheila headed for the door.

"Happy Birthday!" Sheila called as Chris waved carelessly over his shoulder.

The food fight continued and Meredith grabbed Chris' arm.

"We need to stop this before they decide to use their powers on each other." She told him angrily.

"What do you suggest?" he demanded.

She growled and pushed him out of the way. She raised her hand and all three sisters were pushed back by gusts of air. They fought as the air held them there, but Meredith ignored them. She waved her other hand and all the food went up in smoke. The sisters continued to fight her, but she just glared at them.

"I'm going to go get Leo." She told Chris. "Deal with this."

She melted into the shadows and the binds of air disappeared. Chris reached over and grabbed David.

"How the hell are you making them happy if they're fighting?" he demanded. "Get them to bind Wyatt's powers now!"

* * *

David led the girls into the attic, with Chris following them.

"Are you sure about this?" Phoebe asked.

"What you want more than anything is to get along, and this will help you do that." David told her.

"I'm pretty sure what we want more than anything is a good dry cleaner." Paige muttered.

"Leo." Chris called, hoping he got to him before Meredith.

Leo orbed in with Wyatt and set him in the crib.

"Yeah." He said, looking at them in confusion. "What happened?"

"You don't want to know." Chris told him.

"We're binding Wyatt's powers." Piper told Leo.

"What?" Leo demanded.

Unnoticed by them, The High Priest and two Acolytes appeared in a dark section of the attic.

"We already decided." Piper said.

"You can't be serious." Leo replied.

While everyone was distracted, the High Priest raised the scepter and shot the pink beam at Wyatt's eyes. The boy's eyes flashed gold and then his shield rose against Leo, pushing him out of the way. He crashed into the sisters and Chris.

"Down!"

Chris pulled the others down as Meredith threw fire at the acolytes, but they were protected by Wyatt's shield.

"He's one of us now." The High Priest said.

He leaned down and touched Wyatt. A second later, they all disappeared.

Chris turned and saw Meredith stumble. He grabbed her and she let him hold her up, fisting her hands in the front of his shirt as they all stared at the empty crib.

A/N: I know it's been a long time! Please don't kill me! I'm just having a hard a time due to the fact that I don't really like this episode. I promise to do better.

Abbey


	32. Prince Charmed 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I just really, really wish I did.

Ch. 31:

The three sisters closed in on Chris and Meredith as Leo stood to the side, watching.

"Listen to me." Chris told them. "What are you doing?"

"The pheromones wore off…" Phoebe told him.

"Right after they took my son!" Piper shouted.

"You don't seriously believe this is my fault, do you?" Chris demanded.

"Oh, right." Paige said. "So it's just a big coincidence we all fell under Mr. Right's spell?"

"And then suddenly we all want to bind Wyatt's powers?" Phoebe added.

"You see, Chris," David said, "what they really want is-"

"For you to leave." Paige finished.

"I knew that." David said, startled.

"This is crazy." Chris said. "Leo, tell them."

"Tell them what?" Leo asked. "I'm wondering the same thing myself."

"Okay, everyone calm down." Meredith said. "Yes, Chris is an idiot, but he was only trying to protect Wyatt."

"By tricking us?" Piper demanded.

"I had to." Chris insisted.

"Why?" Phoebe demanded.

"Because the only reason I came here is to keep Wyatt from turning evil." Chris shouted.

They all stared at him and Meredith closed her eyes.

"Turning evil?" Leo repeated.

"Don't you mean stopping evil from hurting him?" Paige asked.

"I didn't think you'd help me if you knew the truth." Chris said, sighing. "I knew you wouldn't. The evil from the future that I came back to stop, Meredith's husband, it isn't a demon. It's Wyatt."

"You're lying." Piper told him.

Meredith walked forward and angrily lifted up her shirt to reveal a long white scar down her side.

"Wyatt gave me this when I refused to burn New Orleans to the ground." She told Piper angrily. "Wyatt's gonna grow up and terrorize people with his powers, take over…kill, even. He's going to grow up to leave my daughter's mangled body impaled on our bed. He's going to grow up to be a monster."

Piper looked away. Chris reached over and gently touched Meredith's arm. She turned back to him and took his hand in hers, holding it tightly. He gently reached up and brushed her hair back, and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

She nodded and took a deep breath before turning back to the others.

"I don't agree with the way Chris went about this, but he was just doing what he thought he had to." Meredith told them quietly.

"Why should we believe you after all the lies?" Leo asked.

"Because you have to." Chris said.

"No, Chris." Piper said. "We don't actually."

"Fine." Chris said. "Then, don't. Either way, we need to save Wyatt now, and I'm the one who knows how to do it."

"Oh, really?" Phoebe said. "How?"

"The Order." Chris told her. "They used their powers to turn him, to reverse his morality. See, he thinks bad is good now and good is bad. That's why his shield repelled you."

"So?" Leo demanded.

"So Wyatt brings his shield up around me." Chris said. "He thinks I'm a threat."

"Yeah, so do I." Piper said harshly.

Meredith saw the hurt flash across Chris's face and she squeezed his hand.

"Listen to me." Chris pleaded. "They reversed his sense of morality. That means his shield will protect him from you, but not from me. Please, I'm the only one who can save him. Let me help."

"Chris, we don't need your help." Piper told him. "I will get my son back and when I do, I don't want to see you anymore."

Chris looked at the others before looking at Meredith.

"Go." She told him softly. "I'll follow in a minute."

He nodded and she reached up and kissed him gently.

"I love you." She told him softly.

He nodded and looked back at the other.

"I'm sorry." He told them.

He orbed out, leaving Meredith alone with them.

"We're not mad at you, Meredith." Piper told her. "We know you didn't-"

"I don't' give a damn if you're mad at me." Meredith said, spinning around and glaring at them. "That man…everything he's ever done has been for this family. He's try so hard over and over again to make you proud of him only to be disappointed again and again. Yes, what he did was wrong. He shouldn't have tried to get you to bind Wyatt's powers, but he would give up his life to keep this family safe. I don't care if he's lied to you, you have no right to doubt him. After everything he's done since he got here, you should be ashamed of yourselves."

She glared at them for a second longer before disappearing into the shadows, leaving the others staring after her.

* * *

The thunder rumbled as the lightning flashed. The High Priest held Wyatt high above his head.

"Nihil curo…" he chanted. "De ista tua stulta."

"Radix lecti…" the Acolytes replied. "Radix lecti…"

"Behold, he has returned to us," the High Priest announced.

Behind him , the sisters orbed in behind him.

"…to his rightful place, to one day lead us back to-" he continued.

Phoebe stepped forward and began the attack on the Order. Paige threw a potion and several members went up in flames. Piper just blasted any members who got in her way. The High Priest carried Wyatt away from the fighting and Piper followed. He set Wyatt down on the altar and the boy immediately put his shield up around him and the High Priest. Piper stepped forward, but was repelled by the shield.

"He protects me now…" the Priest gloated, "not you!"

He summoned a fire ball as Chris orbed into the field and Meredith stepped out of the shadows, sending several Acolytes up in flames. He knocked the High Priest to the ground, where he landed on his fireball and was killed.

The scepter clattered to the ground outside the shield.

"Chris!" Meredith said, stepping forward as the man got to his feet.

"I'm okay." He told her.

He looked around at Wyatt, who simply stared up at him as his shield kept his mother and aunts out.

"Piper, pick up the scepter and point it at Wyatt." He ordered with taking his eyes from Wyatt.

Piper stepped forward and picked up the scepter, but hesitated.

"Trust me." Chris said simply.

Without a word, Piper did as Chris said. The beam shot out from the scepter and hit Wyatt's eyes. They glowed for a moment and then returned to normal as the shield dropped. Piper and Meredith both moved forward, Piper picking up Wyatt as Chris stepped aside, and Meredith moving to Chris' side.

Piper looked at them and slowly backed away.

"How come he didn't raise his shield back up for you?" she asked.

"I don't know." Chris said. "Looks like he trusts me now, at least."

* * *

Chris sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge Tower, while Meredith stood across from him, leaning against the tower as she watched him quietly. Leo orbed in and looked at both of them.

"Little you is back at the manor, if you want to go check on her." Leo told Meredith.

She looked at Chris for a moment before nodding and disappearing into the shadows. Chris didn't even acknowledge Leo's presence.

"Good place to think, isn't it?" Leo said finally.

"What do you want?" Chris sighed.

"Just to talk." Leo replied. "You know, Chris, trust is a precious commodity. Once you lose it, it's pretty hard to get it back."

"Where'd you read that out of, a fortune cookie?" Chris sneered.

"Don't be a smart ass." Leo told him strictly. "It doesn't help your cause."

"My cause?" Chris scoffed. "Pretty much screwed that up, don't you think?"

"I don't know." Leo admitted.

"Are you saying you still trust me?" Chris asked him.

"It's not my trust that matters." Leo told him. "It's the sisters'."

Chris sighed.

"I know." He said. "So what do I do?"

"Just be straight with them, that's all." Leo said. "Don't manipulate them…even if it is for the right reason. And for what it's worth, yes, I do trust you. And Meredith, too. After all, you did save my son from turning evil, didn't you?"

Chris nodded slightly.

"For now." He added quietly.

* * *

The grandfather clock showed that it was a minute to midnight when Piper found David sitting on the stairs.

"Hi." She said. "I was just coming up to find you."

"I know." He told her.

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "See, that's still kind of weird to me."

"I know that, too." He replied.

Piper laughed.

"Listen, thanks for cleaning up the mess." She told him. "You really are a perfect guy."

"My pleasure." He said before sighing. "Well…"

He got to his feet and walked down the stairs to stand in front of Piper.

"I already said good-bye to your sisters." He told her. "Now it's your turn."

"I feel like I should apologize or something." Piper said.

"Why?" David asked. "I'm okay with what's about to happen."

"Really." She said.

"I was made that way." He told her.

"Weird." Piper said, nodding.

"Did you at least have a good birthday?" David asked.

"Um…"Piper replied. "It was interesting to say the least."

"Hmm…" David said. "You can't live without love, Piper. We both know that. That's all your sisters were trying to tell you."

The clock began to strike midnight and he sighed.

"Don't ever stop dreaming about me." He told her softly. "And never stop looking for love."

He stepped forward and kissed her gently.

"Happy Birthday, Piper." He whispered.

And with the last chime, he was gone.

* * *

Chris orbed to the willow tree and found Meredith sitting under it with her knees drawn up to her chest.

"Hi." He said softly.

She sniffled and wiped at her cheek.

"Hi." She replied.

He sat down next to her without a word and they sat their quietly for awhile.

"This isn't going to work like this." Meredith whispered eventually.

"Mer…" Chris said.

"No, I need to say this." Meredith interrupted. "Wyatt treated me like a subject, ordering me around. With him, I wasn't in control of my life. Before tonight, I never felt like that with you, but I can't do this if you're going to ignore me and shut me out. I can't go back to living like that. I just can't. I told you what would happen, Chris. I told you not to do this, and you did it anyway. I didn't even get a say."

"I was wrong." he told her softly. "I'm sorry."

"I won't help you depose your brother." She told him. "We're supposed be saving him, not leading a damn coup."

"I know." He said. "It won't happen again. I promise."

Meredith wasn't done, though.

"You seem to have this constant idea that you're somehow inferior to your brother." She said angrily. "But guess what, I chose you. No matter how great you may think he is, how powerful he may be, in the end you were the one I wanted, not him. Doesn't that count for anything? I could've had either one of you and I chose you. Isn't that enough?"

"It's more than enough." He told her heatedly.

He reached over and grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"The fact that you chose me means everything in the world to me." He told her. "I love you, Meredith, more than I can ever say. I'm so sorry I hurt you, that I made you cry, but I promise I will never do it again if I can help it."

Meredith let out a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chris wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"I love you." He whispered.

In the darkness, her lips found his and they fell back into the grass. As her hands found their way under his shirt, Chris orbed them back to P3, where they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms.

* * *

Piper tucked Little Meredith, who was fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth, into her bed with a kiss and moved over to Wyatt.

"You go to sleep." She whispered, kissing him goodnight.

She turned to leave and spotted the brightly wrapped birthday present from Leo still on the dresser. She opened the box and took out a long jewelry box.

Inside was her missing charm bracelet.

_Happy Birthday, Piper.  
Always,  
Leo_

A/N: Prince Charmed is over! Finally! Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	33. Meanwhile in the Underworld

Disclaimer: You guys are reading this story. Do you really believe I own them?

Ch. 33:

"It's a simple plan." Meredith muttered as she ducked behind a large boulder. "Go in, get the intel, get out. What could go wrong? Two days of slinking around the underworld, cut off from everyone, only to walk right into a nest of demons. Sure, what could go wrong?"

She stood up and threw a wave of fire at the horde of demons following her.

"THIS IS WHAT COULD BLOODY WELL GO WRONG!" she yelled, running down the next tunnel.

"Talking to yourself isn't a good sign, you know that, right?" Chris told her as he joined her.

Meredith just glared at him as they ran through the underworld. Meredith ducked as an energy ball flew over her head and Chris used his power to send the demon flying.

"We need to leave." Meredith told him. "Now."

"We need that information." Chris shot back. "If we don't get it, you're explaining it to Piper."

"Will you be really upset if I kill her for sending us on this wild goose chase?"She asked.

"If you could wait a few months, that would be better." He told her with a grin.

She glared at him as they turned another corner, the demons still on their tails.

"Okay, time to end this fun fest." She muttered.

Meredith disappeared into the shadows and Chris sighed. He continued to run and as he turned another corner, he stopped short. In front of him was Meredith, holding a barely conscious demon by the collar.

"Can we go now?"

* * *

Chris ran his hand through his hair. He and Meredith were in a cave in a deserted portion of the underworld. He was standing in front of the demon they had captured and Meredith was sitting on a boulder nearby. The demon, meanwhile, was trapped in a crystal cage.

"Just tell us what we want to know." Chris told the demon. "We'll let you go and you won't see us anymore. Now, who is after the Charmed Ones child?"

The demon glared at him.

"Meredith." Chris sighed.

Meredith sighed and threw a bolt of electricity at the demon. The demon screamed as she kept the current up, and collapsed, panting, as she let it dissipate.

"You know, this wouldn't be working even this well if I hadn't remembered the crystals." Meredith pointed out. "What would you do without me? Never mind, I don't like to think about it. Five bucks says you would have no fun at all and get yourself killed in the first month.

"You do realize I survived here for months before you arrived, right?" Chris told her.

"But even with my superhuman abilities to keep you from getting yourself killed, this is never going to work." She continued, ignoring him. "Let's just vanquish him and go home. I'll by you an ice cream."

"Maybe you're right." Chris sighed. "And ice cream sounds really good right now."

He took a potion out of his pocket and held it up.

"No, wait!" the demon yelled. "I swear I don't know. Nobody's said nothing about going after The Charmed Ones or their kid."

Meredith and Chris exchanged a look. Meredith flipped her hand at the demon and he went up in fire. A second later, Chris and Meredith were alone.

"Well that was a complete waste of time." She said, getting up and brushing her pants off.

"Oh, I don't know." Chris said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Watching you take on a horde of demons was fun. It was like the good old days."

She laughed slightly and shook her head.

"Oh yeah." She said. "Demon blood and guts, running through the underworld while demons throw energy balls at our heads. You must be remembering different good old days than me, because good would not be the word I use to describe them."

"Hmm." Chris said, backing her up towards a wall. "But we always found fun ways to work off the excess adrenaline, didn't we?"

He smiled and pushed her up against the wall before kissing her deeply. When he pulled away, Meredith smiled dreamily.

"Oh, those good old days." She murmured.

Chris laughed and let her go.

"Come on, supergirl." He said, taking her hand and pulling her along. "We have three more demons to track down."

"Can we do that again, instead?" Meredith asked, letting him pull her along.

He turned and walked backwards as he smiled at her.

"Maybe if you're very good." He told her.

Meredith grinned.

"And if I'm not?" she asked.

He pulled her to him and kissed her again.

"Than for sure." He whispered.

Meredith giggled as he turned and continued to lead her down the tunnel.

"Goody." She said.

Chris just laughed.

* * *

Two days later, they were no closer to any new information, and Meredith's good mood was totally gone.

"I'm going home, Chris." She told him in no uncertain terms. "It's been four days, I'm tired, I hurt, and I'm in desperate need of a shower." He opened his mouth and she held up her hand. "And if you think this is the moment for a joke, you are seriously misjudging my mood at the moment."

His mouth closed with a snap.

"Good choice." She told him. "I'm going back to the manor. You can either come, or you can get your ass handed to you by the next group of demons you piss off."

"I'll meet you there." He told her.

She nodded and melted into the shadows. Chris followed a second later as he disappeared in a flash of orbs. They appeared in the kitchen, where Piper was making tea.

"There you two are." She said. "I was starting to get worried."

"We'll tell you all about it, but first: shower." Meredith said.

She looked over and saw Chris grinning and glared at him.

"Separate." She told him, making his face fall and Piper laugh. "I am way too tired to deal with anything else."

She walked out and Chris looked so depressed that Piper reached over and patted his hand before also leaving, two cups of tea in her hand.

"You can use the downstairs bathroom." She told him as the door swung shut.

Chris pulled his shirt away and sniffed it before shrugging.

* * *

Piper knocked on Meredith's door and opened it. Inside, both Chris and Meredith were fast asleep. She watched them for a moment. Both were on top of the covers and Meredith, who was dressed in a sports bra and pajama bottoms, was curled up in Chris's side, who was only dressed in pajama bottoms. Her head was resting on Chris's chest and his arm was wrapped around her, holding her tightly.

This was the most peaceful Piper had ever seen them. She thought about not waking them up, but finally she decided she had to.

She walked over and gently shook Chris' shoulder.

"Chris, you guys need to get up." She said softly.

Chris's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up, pushing Meredith behind him. She awoke just as quickly and had a ball of fire in her hand. Both of them were breathing hard.

"Whoa, whoa!" Piper said quickly, holding up her hands. "It's just me!"

Chris reached over and gently touched Meredith's hand. The fire dissipated and she sighed as she lowered her hand.

"Sorry." She said, running her hand through her hair.

Piper took a deep breath and lowered her hands.

"It's alright." She told her. "Dinner's ready. Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"Just give us a chance to get dressed." Chris said.

"Don't worry about it." Piper said, grinning. "It's just me and Phoebe. Come on."

Meredith and Chris exchanged a looked, but Meredith just shrugged. They both climbed out of bed and followed Piper. As they headed towards the door, Meredith grabbed a shirt and tossed it to Chris, who pulled it over his head as they went downstairs. In the kitchen, Phoebe was sitting in her pajamas, hunched over a cup of tea.

"I see she dragged you two down too." Phoebe said, smiling slightly, but the smile quickly dropped.

Meredith and Chris exchanged a look, and Meredith walked over and hugged Phoebe around the neck.

"Hi, Aunt Phoebe." She whispered.

"Hi, Mer." Phoebe replied, reaching up to squeeze Meredith's arm.

Meredith sat down next to her and took her hand in hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. "What's happened? Are you alright?"

Phoebe studied her for a moment.

"In the future, are we close?" she asked out of the blue.

Meredith looked shocked for a moment before her face fell back into its normal expression.

"Yes." She told her. "Piper was like my mom, but if I was in trouble, I went to you, and you always got me out of it. Don't get me wrong, I loved Aunt Paige growing up, but for an emotionally confused elemental, you couldn't ask for a better guardian than an empath. You were the one who taught me to control my emotions, to harness them. Basically, you were the reason the house was still standing by the time I was 15."

"She's telling the truth." Chris confirmed. "She once almost burned down the manor when she was five because Wyatt stole her toy. Phoebe was there and she was able to feel Mer's anger and divert it before the fire got too out of control."

"Just how close were you to us?" Piper asked suspiciously.

"I told you, Chris and I were best friends growing up." Meredith said, covering for him quickly. "He was around the house a lot when we were growing up. In fact, most of the times the house got destroyed, it was usually his fault."

"That is not true!" Chris exclaimed.

"Natalie, that's all I'm going to say." Meredith said.

Chris sat there, staring at her as he sputtered. Piper and Phoebe both grinned at his obvious discomfort.

"We were ten!" he said finally. "And she kissed me! You have got to let this go! You creating a tornado in the living room was a massive overreaction."

"We were twelve." Meredith told him, glaring as she ticked each point off on a finger. "You kissed her back, and the tornado was a small one. Also, it was not an overreaction."

Phoebe laughed and Piper saw Meredith and Chris exchange a look. This had obviously been their plan all along.

"So how did your fact finding mission go?" Piper asked.

"Oh it went great." Meredith said sarcastically. "Especially if you like running for your life, torturing demons, and ruining your favorite shoes. And seriously, who is their decorator? The bare rock look so went out centuries ago. They need to let it go."

"Did you find anything?" Piper asked.

Chris shook his head.

"No." he admitted. "All the demons we…interrogated-"

Meredith snorted and he glared at him. She motioned for him to go on and he turned back to Piper with a sigh.

"No one seemed to know anything." He finished.

"So is Wyatt okay?" Piper asked happily.

"We don't know for sure." Meredith warned her. "We're still looking for the turning point. We know there's a certain time frame for when this will happen, and we're still in it. But we're not going to stop until we're sure."

Piper nodded. They all went back to eating in relative silence. Periodically, Chris would reach over and take something off Meredith's plate, and she would retaliate by slapping his hand. Watching them, Piper finally was able to put words to what bothered her about their relationship.

Piper trusted Meredith.

She didn't trust Chris.

But looking at them, the way they acted around each other, only couples who have been together for many years acted like they did. Meredith said they had grown up together. So, at some point in the future, Piper knew she must trust him, but she couldn't seem to reconcile that with the man who constantly lied to them.

She watched as Meredith finished her mashed potatoes and reached over to eat Chris's without a second thought, and she shrugged to herself. She knew she'd figure it out sometime, but for now, she needed to worry about protecting little Meredith and Wyatt. They had to be her first priority.

* * *

Eventually, Phoebe went back upstairs and Piper followed her upstairs to check on Wyatt and little Meredith. When she came back down, older Meredith and Chris were waiting for her.

"Thanks for cleaning up." Piper said, looking around at the spotless kitchen.

"You're welcome." Meredith told her. "Wanna tell us what went on here while we were gone?"

Piper sighed and sat down.

"Jason found out Phoebe was a witch." She told them.

"And he broke up with her?" Meredith demanded angrily. "I'm going to kick his ass!"

"It's not that simple." Piper told her. "There was a spell, and the spirit of Mata Hari, and Richard, and Swarm Demons. It was a huge mess and in the end, he made the decision that he needed space, but he saved Phoebe's life and he still covered for us. It's not like this is the first time this has happened. Not all of us are lucky enough to fall for people already involved in magic."

Meredith looked away, her face still obviously angry. Chris reached over and took her hand and she turned back to look at him. They seemed to have a silent conversation and Meredith sighed.

"Are sure I can't just hex him?" she asked petulantly.

Chris just shook his head and she sighed again.

"Fine." She agreed reluctantly.

"Good girl." Chris said, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning."

Meredith nodded and he orbed away.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked Piper. "I mean, baring shadow walking into his home and suffocating him with his pillow."

Piper chuckled.

"I was going to bring her some more tea." She told her. "Why don't you do that while I get little you and Wyatt ready for bed."

"Alright." Meredith agreed.

* * *

"Aunt Phoebe?" Meredith said softly, knocking on her door and opening it.

Phoebe was lying on the guest room bed with her back to the door.

"I have tea." Meredith coaxed.

Not getting a response, Meredith made her way over and around the bed. She saw that Phoebe was awake, and her face was tear streaked.

"Oh, auntie." Meredith said, surprised to hear the term of endearment that she hadn't used in years slip past her lips.

She set the tea down on the table and sat down next to Phoebe on the bed.

"It's gonna be alright." She told her softly, rubbing her shoulder. "I promise you."

Phoebe smiled weakly at her.

"Do you want your room back?" Meredith asked her. "I'll move my stuff out and you can move back in later today."

"Oh, no, sweetie." Phoebe told her. "It's your room. I'm fine here."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked her hesitantly.

"Of course I'm sure." Phoebe assured her.

Meredith nodded and they sat their silently. Finally, Meredith got to her feet.

"I'm going to let you get some sleep." She told Phoebe. "I'll leave your tea here. If you don't drink it right now, just bring it to me later and I'll reheat it for you."

Phoebe nodded and Meredith moved away. She stood at the door for a moment, looking back at her adoptive aunt before sighing and closing the door.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Since Chris isn't in Used Karma at all and it's not one of my favorites, I decided to deal with it like this. That okay with you guys? Let me know.

Abbey


	34. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, I'm just borrowing them.

Ch. 34:

Piper sat with another mother at the Day Care, watching the toddlers playing. A little ways away, Wyatt sat playing with some toys while Mer sat quietly, just watching him.

"All I'm saying is that you're way behind with little Wyatt and Meredith." The other mother told her. "You really should've applied before this."

"Yeah, well, you know, Meredith didn't come to us until recently and Wyatt's not even a year old yet." Piper protested.

"So?" the other mother replied. "I had my Jake signed up for Mommy and Me when I was still pregnant with him."

"Really?" Piper asked, surprised. "You can do that?"

"Oh, absolutely." The mother said. "In fact, I'm surprised that they let you sign up this late. Because everybody wants to get in here because it gets you into Adlebery Preschool, which is a feeder for Hoskins Elementary, and Bentley Middle School."

The woman laughed as if these facts were obvious.

"Heh." Piper laughed uncomfortably.

They both turned and watched Wyatt and Mer.

"Doesn't have any siblings, does he?" the other mother asked.

"Uh, no." Piper replied. "How did you know?"

"Because he doesn't play well with others." The other woman said. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's a common problem among only children. All the more reason to start developing their social skills early. First thing preschools look for, you know."

"Yeah." Piper said. "Well, that's why we're here."

Piper turned back to the children in time to see Wyatt grabbed a toy away from Mer.

"Meredith Victoria St. James, don't you dare!"

"Mer, no!"

Piper turned and saw Phoebe, Paige, and Meredith walking towards them, both Meredith and Phoebe focused on little Mer. Meredith glared at her younger self and little Mer stared at her innocently.

"Don't look at me like that, Mer." Meredith told her. "What's the rule?"

She went and kneeled next to the two children as Paige and Phoebe headed towards Piper.

"Excuse me." Piper said to the other woman, standing up to join her sisters. "Hi. Thanks for coming."

"Oh, of course!" Phoebe said. "You know, anything for your little nephew and niece."

"What's going on with them?" Piper said, nodding to where Meredith was quietly lecturing her younger self.

"Wyatt took little Meredith's toy." Phoebe explained. "I felt her get angry and Meredith felt her start to call up fire."

"Ah." Piper said in understanding.

This had happened several times now. Piper knew Wyatt would protect himself if Mer actually got mad enough to try to hurt him, but they were trying to teach her to stop reacting with her powers.

"Now, can someone tell me what we are doing for our little nephew and niece?" Phoebe asked.

"Showing family support." Piper replied. "They look for that. Especially when the father's not around a lot."

Paige nodded and quietly turned around to dial her phone.

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked. "Leo's around all the time."

"Yeah." Piper agreed. "For Wyatt, but he won't be for the school. He can't be."

Paige made an outraged noise and Piper and Phoebe turned to see Meredith snatching Paige's phone away.

"On behalf of your niece who is too young to really be annoyed with you, I am going to step in and say that this thing needs to go away." Meredith told her. "Now."

Paige sighed and took the phone back, putting it back in her pocket.

"I'm trying to get a hold of Richard." Paige tried to explain. "I can't find him."

"Yeah, well, you've been trying to call Richard for the last couple of days." Piper said. "Maybe you should give it a rest."

"I know, but I'm just afraid he's off on some…magical freak-out or something, you know?" Paige replied. "And I just want to be able to help him."

"Maybe he just needs a little time alone." Phoebe suggested.

"It just makes me question whether or not I can even save an innocent, if I can't save my boyfriend." Paige said, wincing as she looked at Phoebe. "No offense."

"Oh, no." Phoebe said, waving her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm over it."

"Jason?" Meredith asked, surprised. "You're over Jason?"

"Yeah." Phoebe said. "When you get to my age, you can't spend the time crying over spilt milk."

"Your age?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, the whole biological clock thing." Phoebe explained. "It's very real, and it's echoing. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick."

"Okay, hey!" Piper interrupted. "Neurotic people, can we get back to my neurosis right now, please?"

"Sure." Phoebe agreed. "Which one were we talking about?"

"The one where I'm a rotten mother who's raising not one, but two anti-social children." Piper replied.

"Hey!" Meredith exclaimed. "I am not anti-social!"

"Shh!" The other told her quickly.

"She's right though." Paige said as she shook her head at Meredith. "That's ridiculous! And not true."

She took her phone back out and turned her back to Piper as Meredith sighed at her.

"Is it?" Phoebe asked.

"Wyatt doesn't have any friends, and we seem to have to worry about Mer setting kids who upset her on fire." Piper pointed out. "Phoebe, you and I had each other when we were growing up, and maybe Mer and Wyatt will be like that someday, but up till this point, he hasn't had anybody. He's been all alone."

"Hey!" Paige protested. "I was all alone."

"Yeah, but you didn't know you had powers." Piper said. "So it was safe for you to have friends. Your mother didn't have to worry about if you were going to orb out during a play-date or something. And, no offence Meredith, but little Mer is still recovering from the foster parents from hell. I can't take the risk that she's going to go get upset and create a hurricane in the solarium."

"In my defense, I probably won't do that until I'm about ten." Meredith told her. "Right now I don't have the ability to channel that much power."

The other three sisters stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I gotta say," Piper told her, "not really that comforting."

"Piper, despite Meredith's frightening warning of things to come, don't you think you're over-reacting a little?" Phoebe asked.

Just then, Wyatt orbed out of the play room.

"No." Piper replied.

* * *

Wyatt stood at the base of the stairs in the manor, staring up at something on the stairs. A white blinding light on the wall revealed a door in the wall.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige appeared in a flash of orbs, and a second later Meredith and little Me

r stepped out of the shadows.

"You cannot keep doing this, sweetie, really." Piper told her son.

Phoebe went and picked up Wyatt, while Meredith stared the wall. Paige followed her gaze and she also stared.

"Oh, guys…" she said.

"What the hell is that?" Meredith demanded.

Phoebe and Piper turned around and noticed the door.

"Oh, what the…" Phoebe said.

They moved directly in front of the stairs and looked up at the door in their wall.

"Oh, this is not good." Piper said.

They heard a horse neigh from behind the door.

"Help!" someone called.

"Orb them out of here." Piper ordered. "Go."

Paige took Wyatt from Phoebe and Meredith put Mer's hand in Paige's so she could orb them both out. When she was gone, the door opened. A man dressed in black robes rushed through it and looked at them with relief.

"Oh, thank god you're home!" he said with a sigh.

Behind him, they heard the sound of galloping and turned around. Directly in front of him, a headless horseman appeared. The horse rears high on its hind legs and the horseman swung his sword, chopping off the man's head. The head fell to the ground and partly down the stairs as the door slammed shut.

"What the hell was that?" Piper demanded.

"Did anyone else just see…" Meredith said at the same time. "With the…and the…and there's a head on our staircase! What the hell just happened?"

"That…"

The three women looked at each other before looking at the head.

"…was the headless horseman." The head continued.

The three woman stared at him.

"That's a head." Meredith said.

"Yes it is." Piper replied as Phoebe's mouth moved up and down.

"It's talking." Meredith pointed out.

"Yes it is." Piper agreed.

"I need to sit down." Meredith said.

She sat down on the ground as Piper pinched her nose and Phoebe pointed at the head and began to babble.

A/N: I know it's been a while. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	35. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell 2

Disclaimer: If I owned Charmed, I would give it back to the people. Nah, that's a lie. I'd sit on it and collect as many royalties as I could. What can I say? I like money.

Ch.35:

Piper removed the vase of flowers from the main hallway table as Phoebe gently set the head in the center. Meanwhile, Meredith was coming down the stairs.

"I tried to get Chris here, but he seems to be out of range." She said, joining the sisters.

Piper pursed her lips and Meredith sighed.

"I get it." She told Piper. "You don't like Chris, you don't trust him. You won't listen to me when I tell you that not trust him is stupid. Can you please just trust me and accept the fact that I know more than you and that I trust him?"

Piper sighed, but nodded.

"Besides the point is moot." Meredith continued. "I can't get a hold of him, so I can't talk to him anyway."

Phoebe finished settling the head by straightening his glasses.

"Okay." She said.

"You're very kind." The head said.

"Yeah." Phoebe replied slowly. "Can I just ask you one question? How are you still talking?"

"Yes, well, fair question." The head said. "Uh, fortunately, the rest of me is still at magic school. Otherwise, I'd be-"

"Wait a second." Meredith interrupted. "Did you say Magic School? You're from Magic School?"

"Yes." The head replied. "That's right."

"Wait, you know what Magic School is?" Piper asked the young woman.

"Of course I know what Magic School is!" Meredith said happily. "Chris, Me, Wyatt…we all went there! Chris and I were afraid of going there to use their library and messing up the time line more than we meant to, but now that you've found out about it, I get to use their time travel section! Halleluiah!"

The others stared at her as she clapped her hands happily.

"Anyway, as I was saying," the head said, "as long as my body remains on grounds, I can't, well, you know…die. It's all part of the magic, thankfully."

"Like the doorway in the middle of my stairway." Piper said dryly.

"Sorry." The head told her. "I didn't know where else to put it. It's the only way in or out of the school. I had to reach you somehow."

"Do you have a name?" Phoebe asked.

"Sigmund." The head replied. "But I'm afraid we don't have much time for pleasantries. I really need to get you back before he strikes again."

"The Headless Horseman?" Piper asked.

"Right." Sigmund replied.

"Fabulous." Piper muttered.

Paige and Leo appeared in a flash of orbs behind Sigmund.

"Where's Wyatt and Mer?" Piper asked her sister.

Phoebe motioned to the head, trying to draw Paige's attention as she answered.

"They're upstairs in the nursery." The youngest sister replied. "I thought I should bring Le-" she finally noticed the head, "-oh my god. Then, apparently, I was right."

The other two walked in front of the table.

"Leo!" Sigmund exclaimed. "Oh, so good to see you again."

"Sigmund, what happened?" Leo asked.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Phoebe asked, surprised.

"Gideon sent me for your help." Sigmund told them. "All your help."

"Gideon?" Paige asked. "Who is Gideon? And who are you?"

"All right." Piper said. "All you people with legs, follow me."

She took the vase of flowers and stepped into the next room.

"You wait here." Phoebe told Sigmund as she and the others followed Piper.

"Hurry!" Sigmund called after them.

They all moved into the foyer.

"Leo, just so you know, this is what's keeping your son and Meredith from developing social skills." Piper told him.

"Hey!" Meredith protested. "My social skills are just fine, thank you very much."

"And me from helping Richard." Paige added over Meredith.

"And me from helping…me." Phoebe said.

"What?" Leo asked, confused.

"I'm talking about our lives." Piper said. "We can't just drop what we're doing every time somebody's head comes rolling down the stairs."

"I don't believe you're saying this." Leo said. "You don't understand. This isn't supposed to happen. Magic school is supposed to be protected from evil. It's the only way Gideon can teach magic to the next generation-Wyatt and Meredith's generation."

"I think Wyatt and Meredith are more concerned with nursery school right now, than magic school." Piper told him.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked. "Paige said he orbed back in front of the door. He was drawn to it."

"Mer was the one who shadow walked me, not the other way around." Meredith added.

Piper glared at her and Paige and they both shrugged.

"Okay." Phoebe interrupted. "You know what? I think we should help the magic school. Because we can't just keep that head on our foyer table. You know? What is it? A centerpiece?"

"Okay, fine, but we can't take Wyatt and Mer." Piper said. "Sorry."

"All right." Leo agreed. "I'll get Chris to watch them."

"What?" Piper exclaimed. "After everything he's done? No. I don't think so."

"Piper!" Meredith growled.

"He was just trying to protect Wyatt." Leo said at the same time.

"Oh, please." Paige said.

"Aunt Paige!" Meredith exclaimed.

Everyone was surprised when Leo reached over and laid a hand on Meredith's arm, quieting her, including Leo and Meredith. The younger woman looked at him and nodded after a moment.

"I think his intentions are good." Leo told the sisters. "He deserves another chance. And if it makes you feel better, Meredith can help him."

"It's probably better that I do." Meredith agreed. "I'm becoming worried that my younger self has begun to think of the man I love as a father figure. I'd rather I didn't have to go through intense therapy for the rest of my future life."

The sisters nodded and Leo orbed him and Meredith out.

* * *

Leo, Meredith, and the kids appeared in P3.

"Chris?" Meredith called.

The young man came out of the back room, his shirt torn and dirty, with a bleeding cut on his face.

"Great." Meredith sighed, walking over to him. "You went to the Underworld without me, didn't you?"

"No." Chris said as she stared at him. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

"Chris!" she exclaimed.

"I need to find something out." He told her.

"Leo, heal him, would you?" Meredith said, sighing.

"Leo?" Chris said, finally looking around and spotting Leo, Wyatt, and Meredith. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." Meredith told him as she moved to take Wyatt and lead Mer into the back room. "Just let Leo heal you and get cleaned up."

Leo moved over to him and began to heal his cheek.

"What happened?" he asked the younger man.

"I got into an argument with a demon." Chris explained. "He didn't want to tell me what I wanted to know."

"I hope you at least won." Leo said as the wound closed and he lowered his hand.

"The demon's gone, but I didn't get the information I needed." Chris replied, stripping off his shirt.

Leo stared at three long scars on Chris' back.

"What happened to your back?" he demanded.

Chris ignored him and pulled on another shirt.

"We'll take care of Wyatt and Mer." He told Leo. "See you later."

He walked into the back room and closed the door, leaving Leo alone.

* * *

Inside, Meredith had set Wyatt and Mer up with some toys and was sitting on the bed, waiting for him.

"Leo saw your scars, didn't he?" she asked softly as he sat down. "What did you tell him?"

"What was I supposed to tell him?" Chris asked. "That his son decided I was encroaching on his girl, so he launched a curse that kept cutting my back until we could find the counter? Yeah, that'll go well."

Meredith looked over at the little boy playing with her younger self quite happily.

"It's hard to reconcile what he's going to do with who he is now, isn't it?" she asked softly.

They were both silent for a moment.

"We lead really weird lives." Meredith said suddenly.

"You're telling me." Chris replied with a sigh.

* * *

The door opened and Phoebe walked into Magic School. Piper walked in behind her and spotted Sigmund's body on the floor.

"Oh, yuck." She muttered.

She opened the mesh bag she was carrying and peered inside.

"Um, are you sure you can breathe in there all right?" she asked Sigmund's head.

"Yes, I-" Sigmund began, but was interrupted by the door slamming shut behind them. "We must move quickly."

"All right." Piper agreed.

She stepped around the body and moved down the hallway, her sisters and Leo following.

"Wow." Paige said, looking around. "Impressive."

In front of them was an endless hallway.

"How long is this hallway?" Piper asked.

"No one really knows." Sigmund replied. "It's endless."

"Great." Piper muttered.

They slowly made their way down the endless hallway.

"So, how are we going to find this dude, Gideon, anyway?" Paige asked.

"He's not a 'dude'." Leo told her. "He's an Elder. My old mentor, actually."

"Really?" Piper asked. "You've never mentioned him before."

"We met a long time ago, when I first became a Whitelighter." Leo replied. "He helped me out. Took me under his wing. He actually fought for us to get married. To break the rules."

"Really?" Piper asked, surprised.

A wolf appeared behind them and growled low in its throat as it followed them. Phoebe heard it and turned around to see it heading towards them.

"Okay." She said slowly. "I don't want to freak anybody out, but there is a wolf following us."

"What?" Paige yelped.

Everyone turned around and saw nothing.

"There was a wolf following us, I swear." Phoebe told them.

"Not everyone sees the same things here, Phoebe." Sigmund told her. "Only what they're meant to see."

"Who you got in there?" Phoebe demanded. "Confucius?"

A side door opened and they turned to see a young woman reading a book as she levitated from one side of the hall to the other, going through another door and leaving them staring after her.

"Okay." Phoebe said. "You all saw that, right?"

"Eleventh grade levitation." Sigmund told them. "She's late." He cleared his throat. "We should keep moving. The Great Hall is just ahead."

They continued on until they reached a pair of tall wooden doors. The doors opened to reveal a large room, which they moved to the center of as they looked around.

"Leo!" a voice called. "Good. Thanks for coming. Although I do wish it was under better circumstances."

"Gideon." Leo replied.

"And the Charmed Ones." The voice continued.

They looked over to where it was coming from and saw nothing.

"Lovely to see you again, although you probably don't remember meeting me." The voice continued cheerfully. "You were just little girls."

Frustrated, Phoebe stomped her foot and clapped while Piper handed the bag with Sigmund's head to Leo.

"Leo." She said, glaring.

"Gideon," Leo called, stepping forward, "I believe your invisibility shield is still up."

Gideon appeared as he lowered his hood.

"I'm sorry." He told them. "I'm just – a little distracted with everything that's been going on around here."

"Yes, we heard." Piper said.

Gideon's attention was caught by Leo setting Sigmund's head on a nearby table top.

"Sigmund, oh, I'm so sorry." He told the other man.

"It's all right, sir." Sigmund replied. "Didn't stop me from delivering the message now, did it?"

"Okay, would somebody please tell me what's going on here?" Phoebe demanded.

"You always were the restless one." Gideon said. "Just like your Grams. Well, it all started innocently enough, actually. Pranks, really. Setting the rats loose from the Pied Piper. Turning the north dorm into a gingerbread house. Kids…"

"And then…?" Leo prompted when he trailed off.

"And then someone cast a spell that brought forth the darkness." Gideon said. "And days became nights, nights became terror. And the Headless Horseman has roamed the campus ever since, targeting teachers."

"Forgive me, sir." Sigmund called. "Perhaps you'd like to orb me over to the other heads?"

"Right." Gideon agreed, stepping towards him. "Good thinking."

"Nice to meet you." Sigmund told the sisters.

"You too, dude." Phoebe said.

With a wave Gideon's hand, Sigmund's head orbed out.

"Did you guys figure it out yet?" a new voice asked.

They all turned to find Meredith walking out of the shadows.

"Can I use the library yet?" she continued.

"I thought you were watching the kids." Piper said.

"Chris has got it under control." Meredith replied, waving her hand. "Come on, it's been years since I had access to the Magic School library!"

"You must be Meredith St. James." Gideon said, stepping forward. "The Elders have great hopes for your younger self."

Meredith looked him over and opened her mouth, but stopped when Piper held up a hand.

"Think about whatever is about to come out your mouth." She ordered.

Meredith glared at her but shut her mouth.

"So, somebody's trying to shut down the school by cutting off teachers' heads?" Paige asked. "Is that what we're getting at?"

"What else could it be?" Gideon replied. "What better way for evil to gain an upper hand than to thwart the next generation?"

"Isn't it as simple as finding who conjured the Horseman, and reversing the magic?" Piper asked.

"No Magic School student would possess that level of magic." Meredith scoffed. "Well, at least until Wyatt and I get here. Between the two of us, and a couple of other kids, we once summoned a Mongolian Hoard by accident. It took the Professors three days to get rid of them all. And no matter what Chris says, we didn't do it to get out of an exam. That would be an abuse of our powers."

The others stared at her.

"What?" she asked. "Why are we staring? What?"

"Why is it every time you tell one of these charming little stories, I feel the need to build a bomb shelter in the basement?" Piper asked dryly.

"She is right, though." Gideon said, bringing them back on topic. "No student should possess that level of magic, at least they're not supposed to. That's why I believe that a demon from the outside has somehow corrupted one of them into doing his bidding."

"So, you find the student, you find the evil, right?" Paige asked.

"True." Gideon agreed. "Except that you'll find much more than that here, Paige. The answers that you each seek can be found within these grounds. You merely have to be open to them. Teaching will help you find the student in question, but it will also remind you of what you fear you have lost."

He turned to Piper.

"Investigating our nursery school will help you with your worries over Wyatt and little Meredith." He told her.

He now turned to Phoebe and Meredith.

"And if you two follow the Wolf, she will lead you where you want to go." He told them.

"Koko." Meredith whispered.

"Ah, you know our Shaman." Gideon said, smiling.

"She taught me everything I know about being a Shaman." Meredith said softly. "She wasn't able to finish my training, though."

"Well, maybe now she can." He told her kindly. "But be careful, all of you. The deeper you look, the more you will discover. And the better chance you will have of saving all this."

Gideon turned around and walked away, vanishing as he went, leaving the others staring at each other.

* * *

A teacher's aide showed Paige to her class.

"Who does he think he is, Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Paige ranted as they walked. "How can I be afraid of losing something if I don't' know what I have lost?"

"Maybe that's why he wants you to take over Sigmund's class, so you can remember." The aide told her.

"Remember what?" Paige demanded.

"Your gift, perhaps." The aide suggested.

They stopped in front of a door.

"Now…" the other woman told Paige. "Whatever you do, be strong. Don't let them intimidate you. This may be advanced magic, but they're still just kids."

She reached behind Paige and opened the door, pushing Paige backwards into the room. The youngest Halliwell sister turned around to find herself facing an out of control classroom. A group of students were laughing as another student hung in mid air by the collar of his shirt and jacket.

"Help!" he was shouting. "Stop it!"

Paige closed the door and the laughter stopped.

"Oh, my god." She exclaimed.

Paige stepped forward as the boy dropped to the ground, rushing to help him up.

"You okay?" she asked.

He pushed her hands away and got to his feet, heading for his chair.

"I'm fine." He muttered.

"Telepathy isn't the coolest power now, is it, Zack?" a boy in a red hoodie said, laughing.

"No." Zack muttered.

"Did you do that?" Paige demanded.

The boy in the hoodie glanced at her before looking away.

"Excuse me, I'm talking to you." Paige said. "Did you do that?"

"Yeah, so what if I did?" the boy replied.

"What's your name?" Paige demanded.

"Quentin." He replied.

The class started to giggle as Zack rolled his eyes.

"What's o funny?" Paige asked. "What?"

The door opened and another Quentin ran in to find the other staring at him.

"What?" he demanded.

He spotted the other version of himself and sighed.

"Thanks a lot, Slick." He said. "Get me in trouble, why don't you?"

Quentin took his seat as Slick morphed into his true form and Paige stared at him.

"What's the matter, teach?" he asked. "You seem a little out of sorts."

"Me?" Paige replied, holding out her hands. "No, I'm perfectly fine."

A bright red apple appeared in one of her hands as the boy next to Slick waved his hand. She looked at it and smiled at him.

"Thank you." She told him. "You're a conjurer."

"Yeah." Slick scoffed. "And I'd watch your pretty little neck if I was you."

Paige stared at him in shock, the threat taking her by surprise.

* * *

Phoebe cautiously made her way through the endless hallway, Meredith following behind her with a smile.

"Here, wolfie, wolfie, wolfie, wolfie." Phoebe called, whistling and making kissing sounds as Meredith chuckled. "Come on. I know you're here somewhere. Here, wolfie, wolfie, wolfie, wolfie. You know, instead of laughing to yourself, you could help. You're supposed to know her."

She glared at Meredith, who just smiled brighter.

"Koko will find us when the time is right." She told her aunt.

They heard a growling sound and turned to look behind them. It began to bark, and they turned back around to find it in front of them.

"Oh, hi." Phoebe said nervously. "Hi, sweet wolfie. Okay, you don't have to attack me, 'cause Gideon sent me."

The wolf studied her for a moment before turning to Meredith. The younger girl stepped forward and kneeled down so she was the same level as the wolf before bowing her head.

"I am Meredith St. James of the Cayuga Nation." She told the wolf. "I seek your guidance."

The wolf studied her a moment longer before bowing its head and turning to trot down the endless hallway.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe demanded as Meredith got to her feet. "Come on."

They both followed after the wolf as it disappeared.

"Come on!" Phoebe exclaimed in frustration.

She resumed making kissing noises and stepped through an open door, Meredith following her. Inside the door was a cave. Phoebe paused and looked back at Meredith, who smiled. They moved further in and the door slammed shut behind them. Around a bend, they heard the wolf growl. In front of them, the wolf stood in a circular area near a fire. There was a bang and a cloud of white smoke, and where the wolf once stood sat a young woman.

"Neat trick." Phoebe said, moving further inside. "Can you shape shift into the Headless Horseman as well?"

"I'm a shaman, like your niece…" the young woman told her, "not a shapeshifter."

"I never finished my training." Meredith said, bowing her head in deference to the other woman. "I've never been able to call my spirit animal."

"And yet I see it in you." The woman told her, taking a pinch of herbs from the bowl next to her and adding it to the cauldron over the fire. "And the wolf is merely a projection of your quest. A symbol."

"Fascinating." Phoebe said. "You didn't answer my question."

"Your companion trusts me, Phoebe, why do you doubt her?" the woman asked.

"I don't." Phoebe said. "I just don't trust people I don't know."

"Do you really think I lured you out here just to kill you, Phoebe?" the woman asked. "You have the power of premonition…but it's unreliable…especially lately. I can help you see your future more clearly…if you're willing to take…the risk. And you, young shaman…you know your powers, what you are capable of, what your European side has gifted you…but the power of your mother's people is still a mystery to you…I can lead you the rest of the way…if you are willing to let go of all that holds you back…of your pain and rage…let go, and embrace what is left."

Phoebe and Meredith exchanged a look.

* * *

"I don't know what the hell Gideon was talking about, 'cause this is certainly not what I'm looking for." Piper told Leo.

They stood in the nursery school, staring at the children. Some of them were floating on air; others were making their toys float.

"Still," Leo said, "Wyatt and Meredith wouldn't have to hide their powers. Plus, they won't be all alone."

"No, they'll be surrounded by all the other freaks." Piper replied.

"They're not freaks." Leo told her, frowning.

"You know what I mean." Piper said. "I just want Wyatt to have a normal upbringing, at least as normal as possible. And little Meredith, you know, magic has already put her through so much. First her parents being killed, and then her demonic foster parents. I just want her to have as normal an upbringing as I can give her. Is that too much to ask for?"

"I don't know." Leo replied. "Maybe."

Piper sighed.

"Well, we're not shopping for preschools." Piper replied. "We're shopping for headhunters, so where is-"

The door to the room opened and the teacher, accompanying a little girl, walked into the room.

"Sorry." She told them. "Little emergency." She looked down at the girl. "Go ahead."

The little girl ran off to play and the teacher returned her attention to Piper and Leo.

"Now, where were we?" she asked.

"You were telling us about your near-miss with the headless-" Piper said and the teacher shushed her.

"Shh." She said. "I don't want to scare the little ones. They may have powers, but they're still innocent."

"How did you get away?" Leo asked.

"I astral projected." The teacher replied. "Confused him, I guess, by creating two of me, thank god."

"Um, are you suggesting that one of these kids might be…" Piper asked.

"Involved?" the other woman finished. "Oh, dear, no. No. Never."

"Why would you be a target?" Leo asked.

"These children are the cradle of good magic, its entire future." The teacher told them. "Without proper guidance, nurturing, they could easily be turned."

"Demons tried to turn my ward." Piper said. "We understand the risk, believe me."

An alarm began to blare and Leo looked around.

"What's that?" he asked.

* * *

Leo and Piper ran out into the Great Hall, only to find teachers and students scrambling for cover.

"Anybody hurt?" Leo asked when they found Gideon.

"Not yet." The Elder replied.

Paige ran into the hall and joined them.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"Paige, you're a teacher now." Gideon told her. "You need to be careful."

Leo grabbed Paige arm and pulled her back into the endless hallway.

"Come on, I'll take you back." He told her.

"Wait!" Piper called. "Don't leave-"

Behind her, the Horseman materialized.

"Piper!" Paige yelled.

The eldest Halliwell turned and gasped when she saw the rearing horse. The Horseman swung his long sword and sliced Piper's head clean off her neck. It hit the floor with a thud and rolled towards them. As it stopped, the Horseman disappeared.

They all stared at Piper's head.

"Great." She muttered. "Ju-u-ust great."

A/N: What'd you guys think? Let me know. Review!

Abbey


	36. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell 3

Disclaimer: You have got to be kidding me.

Ch. 36:

Meredith sat on the floor as Koko got Phoebe settled into the meditation that would get her ready for her vision quest. When she was totally immersed, Koko turned to Meredith.

"So, tell me, young shaman." The other woman said, sitting down across from her. "Do you believe you have what it takes to complete your training?"

Meredith looked down at her hands in her lap.

"I don't know." She whispered. "I turned away from good for so long. I helped my husband do unspeakable things in the name of power. I'm not sure I'm deserving of my powers. My powers were given to me to protect my people and I used them to destroy them."

"You are aware of your destiny?" Koko asked.

Meredith laughed without humor.

"The strongest elemental to ever be born to the tribes." She scoffed. "The joining of European power and Native magic. I was destined to lead my people into the new world Wyatt was to create. Instead, all we wrought was destruction and death."

Meredith saw Phoebe open her eyes to look at her, but ignored her, keeping her focus on the shaman.

"But from my point of view, that hasn't happened yet." Koko told her, adding more herbs to her potion. "That is why you came back, no? To stop the destruction? Why you switched your allegiance from the man in the dark to the man in the light?"

Meredith closed her eyes and a tear leaked out, running down her cheek.

"But I still can't escape it." She said, her voice thick. "I close my eyes and I see the faces of the people I killed. I see cities burning and falling into ruin. I see my daughter's body, bloody and broken on my bed."

"Then that is where we start." Koko told her. "In the past that may become the future."

She dipped a cup into the potion and handed it to Meredith.

"So I won't be seeing my future?" Meredith asked.

"Your pain lies not in your future, but in your past." Koko told her. "You must find it in you to defeat the pain and rage that holds you back."

Meredith hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes and drinking the potion in one gulp. A second later, she fell in a deep trance and Koko moved back to Phoebe.

"Will she be alright?" Phoebe asked.

"Only if she can defeat her inner demons." Koko replied. "Without doing that, she cannot move forward. And for her, remaining in the past would be worse than death."

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because, in the past is the pain that is threatening to consume her." Koko replied, looking at Meredith. "The pain and the guilt. They will destroy her if she cannot let them go."

* * *

_Meredith found herself in the manor. In front of her, was her younger self and a younger Chris. They both looked to be about 10._

"_That's awesome, Chris." Her younger self was saying. "Your mom and dad will be so proud! At least one of us will be happy."_

_She sat back and pouted while Chris sighed._

"_You shouldn't let him get you in trouble." He told Meredith. "You guys could of really hurt yourselves!"_

"_I'm more worried about what's going to happen when Aunt Piper finds out." Meredith said, wincing._

"_Meredith St. James and Wyatt Halliwell, get your butts in here right now!" came a yell from the kitchen._

_Meredith winced as she stood up, Chris right behind her. A second later, a young Wyatt appeared in a flash of orbs._

"_Don't you think we're in enough trouble as it is without you using your powers to come downstairs?" Meredith demanded, glaring at him._

"_Oh, come on, Mer." Wyatt said, swinging his arm around her shoulders. "Are you going to tell on me?"_

"_Maybe." She told him, shrugging off his arm. "And Chris could. He's the only one not in trouble."_

"_Chris won't tell on me, will you, Chris?" Wyatt asked, glancing back at his little brother._

_Chris winced, but shook his head._

"_I'm waiting!"_

_The three kids quickly moved into the kitchen to find a very unhappy Piper waiting for them._

"_Do you two have any idea what it's like to be pulled out of work because two of your children blew up a wing of their school?" she demanded._

"_It was an unused wing." Wyatt said nonchalantly._

_Piper turned around, throwing her hands in the air. The moment her back was turned, Meredith reached over and punched Wyatt in the arm._

"_We're sorry, Aunt Piper." She told the older woman. "It was an experiment that got out of hand. I promise it won't happen again."_

_Piper sighed and sat down at the table._

"_You two are the oldest." She told them. "You're supposed to be setting a good example for Chris!"_

"_Chris doesn't need any help from us." Wyatt muttered._

"_What are you talking about?" Piper asked._

_Meredith smiled at Chris and nudged him._

"_Tell her." She told him._

_Chris smiled shyly and took a piece of paper out of his pocket, handing it to his mother._

"_I'm first in my class." He told her. _

_Piper smiled and reached out to hug him tightly._

"_That's fantastic, honey." She said, pulling back to brush his hair back. "I'm so proud of you. For that, you get to pick dinner tonight. What would you like?"_

"_Can we have spaghetti alfredo?" Chris asked happily._

"_What about us?" Meredith asked hesitantly._

_Piper looked at her and Wyatt and sighed._

"_I suppose we can postpone your punishment until tomorrow." She said. "But starting tomorrow, you both are grounded for three weeks."_

_Wyatt started to protest, but Meredith reached over and punched him again._

"_We understand." She told Piper._

_There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared, very angry._

"_What were you two thinking?" he demanded._

"_I've already settled this, Leo." Piper told him. "They'll start their punishment tomorrow so we can celebrate Chris's good news tonight. He made first in his class!"_

"_That's unacceptable." Leo said. "They'll start their punishment tonight. Both of you go to your rooms."_

_The three kids stared at him._

"_Would you three excuse us?" Piper asked quietly. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."_

_They all nodded and headed out of the room. Wyatt strode out of the room and Chris and Meredith heard his door slam shut a few seconds later. Meredith sighed and held out her hand. Chris took it and they both melted into the shadows. They stayed in the room, hidden, as they listened to Leo and Piper argue._

"_What is wrong with that boy?" Leo demanded. "Why does he keep acting out like this? I mean, I can understand Meredith after all she's gone through, but Wyatt?"_

"_I think, if you paid attention, you'd find that it's usually Wyatt dragging Meredith into these things." Piper told him. "And if you'd been paying attention you would've realized that your younger son is doing really amazing things. You realize he's first in his class? He should've been able to celebrate that tonight!"_

"_Chris is doing well, but Wyatt has a destiny!" Leo shot back. "How can he fulfill it if he's blowing up buildings?"_

_The two kids heard Piper coming towards the door, so Meredith quickly shifted them up to Chris's room. Her older self watched as they both sat down on Chris's bed._

"_He doesn't care about me." Chris said softly. "He never does. It doesn't matter how well I do or what awards I win, nothing will ever stack up to Wyatt's destiny."_

_The scene froze and Meredith looked around in confusion._

'Do you remember what you learned this day?_' a voice asked._

_Meredith looked around, but couldn't identify where it came from._

"_That Chris would never be as important as his brother in his father's eyes." She replied._

'And how did you feel about that?_' the voice asked._

_Meredith hesitated._

"_Angry." She said finally. "Chris tried so hard, he wanted Leo's approval so bad, but no matter what, he would never get it. It wasn't fair."_

'And to this day, do you still hold this anger?_' the voice asked._

"_Yes." Meredith replied. "Leo should've seen that Chris was amazing. He should've seen what Wyatt was becoming. He should've stopped it."_

'Watch._' The voice told her._

_The scene moved forward quickly until, when it resumed it's normal speed, Leo walked into the room and sat down next to Chris, who was asleep._

"_I'm sorry, buddy." He said, softly, careful not to wake his son. "I know I don't always show it, but I am so proud of you. You are doing so much better than your mother and I ever could've imagined."_

_Leo leaned down and gently kissed his son's forehead before slipping out of the room again._

'What you viewed as an uncaring father, was simply a father who couldn't seem to connect to his younger son._' The voice said. '_It didn't mean that he didn't love this son as much as the other, just that he had a harder time telling him. Do you remember what happened three weeks from this night?_'_

_Meredith nodded._

"_We had a family dinner, with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins to celebrate Chris's accomplishment." She said._

'A dinner that was set up and planned by a proud father._' The voice told her._

"_I didn't know." Meredith whispered._

'Perhaps, then, it is time to forgive the man who had just as hard a time understanding you as you did him._' The voice said._

_Meredith didn't say anything as the scene faded and she moved into another memory._

* * *

In the manor, Paige watched as Leo gently placed Piper's head on top of the cabinet in the conservatory, next to some potted plants.

"Ow." Piper said as Leo slowly turned her head to face outward. "Easy, easy. Ow. Easy. Watch the hair."

"Sorry." He told her, stepping back.

Paige reached up and checked Piper's head.

"Doing okay up there, honey?" she asked.

"Actually, I feel a little woozy." Piper replied.

"Maybe it's because we have you up too high." Leo suggested. "Are you sure you don't want me to move you down lower?"

"No." Piper replied. "I don't want Wyatt and Mer to see me like this. They will freak out."

"Well, you know, on the plus side, this is a great way for Wyatt and Mer to get out and socialize." Paige said brightly.

"If I had legs, I would kick you." Her sister told her.

Paige and Leo remained silent. Piper eyed the plant to the left of her, which was obscuring her vision with its leaves.

"Could you move this for me, please?" she asked.

"This one?" Leo asked, pointing.

"Yeah." Piper replied.

Leo smiled and removed the plant from the cabinet.

"You know, maybe I should just go upstairs and check the book and see if there's a spell that can fix this." Paige suggested.

"Or we can find the little child that conjured the horseman and vanquish it." Piper replied.

"You think that would reverse the spell?" Leo asked.

"I'm hopin'." Piper replied.

"I keep getting this weird feeling that it's one of the students in my class." Paige said.

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Because, who better to turn than one of the most powerful kids there?" Paige replied.

"What do you suggest?" he asked her.

"I think we should bring them here." Paige said.

"What?" Piper demanded.

"Yeah, if we get them away from school, they can't conjure the horseman." Paige explained. "That way, we keep him here long enough to figure out who it is."

"I say it's not a bad idea, since you're targets now." Leo said.

"Uh-oh." Piper said. "Phoebe and Meredith…"

"I'll go get them." Leo said.

"No." Piper protested. "I do not want Wyatt to have two headless parents. Send Chris."

* * *

Chris paced the floor of P3, Mer in his arms with her head on his shoulder, as a demon in a black cloak held his hands over Wyatt in his playpen, beams of white light shining down on the boy. There was a flash of orbs and Leo and Paige appeared. The demon looked up and stopped what he was doing, shimmering out just as Paige and Leo realized what was in front of them.

"What the hell is going on?" Leo demanded angrily as he quickly moved to the playpen.

"Wait." Chris pleaded. "I can explain."

Leo leaned down to check on Wyatt.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked.

"What was he doing?" Paige demanded.

"Nothing." Chris said. "I mean, nothing bad. I swear."

"Nothing bad?" Paige repeated angrily, striding over and taking Mer from him. "He's a demon!"

"But he wasn't hurting him." Chris replied quickly. "I promise. Wyatt's shield wasn't even up!"

"I trusted you." Leo said, growing more angry by the second. "I trusted you. I vouched for you!"

"Look, just let me explain." Chris pleaded.

"Get out of here." Leo growled.

"Paige, please." Chris said, appealing to the youngest Halliwell sister.

"NOW!" Leo yelled.

Chris looked at the Elder and knew it wouldn't do any good to argue, so he orbed away.

"Is he okay?" Paige asked, stepping closer to the playpen.

"Yeah, I think so." Leo replied, running a comforting hand over Wyatt. "Listen, I'm gonna take them up there, where it's safe. Do you mind-?"

"Getting Phoebe and Meredith?" Paige finished, handing Mer over. "No, not at all. I just hope there's all of them to get."

Leo picked Wyatt up and held him close, orbing the three of them out.

* * *

Koko took another pinch of herbs and added it to the cauldron.

"So if you're so innocent, why are you hiding out?" Phoebe asked her.

"I'm protecting myself." Koko replied.

"From what?" Phoebe asked. "You're a student. The bad guy is only after the teachers, right?"

"I'm not protecting my body." Koko said. "I'm protecting my powers. I sense someone trying to invade mine, to use them for themselves."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Phoebe demanded.

"You're an empath." The shaman told her. "You tell me."

Phoebe concentrated for a moment.

"I can't tell." She admitted.

Koko closed her eyes, doing her own reading of Phoebe.

"It's because you're conflicted, questioning your own magic, your very future." She told her. "It's affecting your powers."

"I'm not questioning my future." Phoebe insisted.

Koko just looked at her.

"Okay, maybe just a little bit." She admitted grudgingly. "But how do you know that?"

"The wolf is a pack animal." Koko explained taking another cup and dipping it into the cauldron. "But constantly searching for something she craves…" she got to her feet, the cup in her hand, and made her way toward Phoebe around the fire. "…but cannot find. Seeing it means you're searching, too."

She held out the cup.

"Drink this." She told Phoebe. "Take the vision quest. There you will find the answers we both seek."

Phoebe eyed the liquid and shook her head.

"I don't care what Meredith says." Phoebe told her. "I'm not drinking that."

"No?" Koko said, raising an eyebrow. "Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick."

She held out the cup and Phoebe took it. She drank it and the world dissolved into white.

* * *

_Phoebe walked down the stairs of the manor. In front of her, a swirling white veil blocked the doorway to the Conservatory, keeping what was beyond from her view._

_To her right, a demon appeared and called a fireball, throwing it at her. She ducked and the fireball flew over her head. The demon lunged towards her and Phoebe reached out, deflecting him, and tossed him toward the dining room table. He fell on it, breaking the flower vase, and disappeared._

_A second demon appeared and grabbed Phoebe from behind. She gasped and grabbed him by his head, flipping him over her shoulder. He disappeared as he headed towards the wall._

_Phoebe stood there, breathing heavily. She finally stepped back and made her way towards the veil. As she got closer, a third demon jumped down from ceiling. He landed on her and stabbed her in the shoulder with an athame._

* * *

Phoebe fell to the ground of the cave.

"Ow." She moaned. "Oh." She checked the wound on her shoulder as she sat up. "You didn't tell me I could get hurt on this vision quest."

"You didn't ask." Koko told her. "The vision is of your future, Phoebe. It's no less real than anything else."

"And no less dangerous." Phoebe said. "Great. More demons in my future. It's exactly what I wanted."

"But are there any more beyond the light?" Koko asked. "That's what you really want to see, isn't it?"

Paige choose that moment to orb into the back of the cave behind Koko.

"There you are." She said. "I've been looking all over for you, Phoebe." She saw the wound on Phoebe's shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened? The horseman?"

"No." Phoebe replied. "Uh…my inner demons, apparently."

"Well, it's good to see at least you have your head, unlike Piper." Paige said.

"What?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Yeah." Paige said. "The horseman got her, but you know, she's doing pretty good, considering the circumstances. A little grumpier than normal, but hey – anyway, you really should get out of here before, you know, you get chopped."

Phoebe thought about it for a second.

"I think I should stay here." She said finally.

"Why?" Paige asked.

"Because Gideon put me on this path for a reason." Phoebe replied. "And I believe that there are answers here. Plus, I don't want to leave Meredith on her own. We'll be okay. And you know where to find me if you need me."

"Okay, but…" Paige hesitated, looking at Koko, "remember that she's a suspect, too."

Paige orbed out, leaving Phoebe alone with Meredith and Koko, who dipped the cup back into the cauldron.

"Ready to try again?" she asked, holding the cup out to Phoebe.

She took it with a sigh and looked over at Meredith, who had tears running down her cheeks.

"Is she alright?" Phoebe asked.

Koko looked over at Meredith as well, sympathy in her eyes.

"The things she must work through are very difficult, but if she wants to complete her training, she has to move past it." She told Phoebe. "But I have faith in her."

"How can you?" Phoebe asked. "You just met her."

Koko smiled at her.

"There must have been some reason my future self took her on as a student." She told her before nodding at the cup. "Now, drink."

Phoebe nodded and drank the potion, quickly falling in a trance. When she was sure Phoebe was settled, Koko returned her focus to Meredith.

* * *

_Meredith looked around, trying to place where she was._

"_Wait a minute." She said. "This is our base after the war started. Why are we here?"_

'Watch._' The voice told her._

_Chris walked into the room and Meredith followed after him, dragging a woman with a bag over her head behind her. They were about 18, and they already looked worn and tired beyond their years._

_Younger Meredith pushed the other woman to the ground and her older self saw a flash of a distinctive birthmark._

"_Oh great." She muttered. "I remember this day. This is when we first met Bianca. Can you please explain why we're here?"_

'Watch._' __The voice stressed._

_Younger Meredith pulled Chris to the side, never taking her eyes off Bianca._

"_This is a bad idea, Chris." She whispered. "We should just vanquish her!"_

"_We might be able to learn something from her." Chris countered. "We need all the intel we can get."_

"_She's a Phoenix." Meredith hissed. _

"_They're neutral, just like you, Mer." Chris told her. "They can choose to serve either good or evil. Just because most of them choose evil, doesn't mean one of them couldn't choose good. Besides, if we're going to win this, good and evil need to work together."_

"_And what, maintain the status quo?" Meredith demanded. "Our generation was supposed to herald the coming of a new age. An age of good!"_

"_If we don't learn to work together, we're all going to lose, good and evil." Chris told her. "If Wyatt has his way-"_

"_It's not Wyatt!" Meredith said, exasperated. "I know he's being an ass right now, and I know you two have never really gotten along, but that doesn't make him evil!"_

"_And Melinda's death was what?" Chris demanded. "A fluke? The first time we let her out on her own since Mom died and she just happens to be attacked by a horde of demons? I don't think so. And the only people who knew where she was going was you, me, Dad, and Wyatt. I didn't betray her, I don't think you did, and Dad's too busy wallowing in his own grief to betray anyone. That leaves darling Wyatt."_

"_Wyatt wouldn't kill his own sister." Meredith told him._

"_He would if he thought she was a threat to him." Chris replied._

_Meredith sighed and rubbed her face. _

"_Look, I don't want to fight with you about this again." Meredith said. "Let's just get this over with. And if she makes even one wrong move, I will kill her."_

"_Agreed." Chris said._

_They moved over to where Bianca lay on the ground and their voices faded._

'Do you know why you needed to see this memory?_' the voice asked._

_Meredith looked around and spotted a shadow nearby that voice seemed to be emanating from._

"_Honestly?" she said. "I have no idea. Unless I'm pissed at Chris for being a stubborn jerk. And if I'm going to be pissed off ever time he's a stubborn jerk, I'll spend the rest of my life pissed at him."_

'Christopher is not the one you are angry at when you view this memory._' The voice told her._

"_Bianca?" Meredith suggested._

'No._' the voice said._

_Meredith sighed._

"_Myself." She said finally._

'Why?_' the voice asked._

"_Because I was naïve." Meredith whispered. "I saw the evidence even before Mel was killed, and I did nothing. I'm as much to blame for Wyatt coming to power as anyone. I'm probably the only one who could've come close to matching him for power and I just sat back and did nothing. I was so convinced of his destiny that I just let him take our world and crush it without even lifting a finger."_

'You couldn't have known what was in his heart._' The voice told her._

"_Chris did." Meredith protested. "He looked at his brother, his flesh and blood, and knew the evil there. The evil I made myself not see."_

'You are too hard on yourself._' The voice told her. '_We never want to believe the worst of those we love._'_

"_I should've." Meredith said harshly._

'You are not omnipotent._' The voice said just as harshly. '_You made a mistake, one you are trying to fix. Until you can move past this, it will hold you here._'_

"_It's easy for you to say!" Meredith said angrily. "You didn't see your whole world collapse around you!"_

'But it hasn't yet._' The voice said calmly. '_You have to let this go so you can stop it from happening._'_

_Meredith looked around at the frozen scene. Chris had his hand on her younger self's arm as they turned towards Bianca._

"_Wyatt never loved me ever, did he?" she asked softly. "I put Chris through hell for someone who only wanted me for the power I could bring him. How can I forgive myself for that?"_

'By remembering that he's forgiven you._' The voice told her gently._

_Meredith walked over to the young Chris in front of her. She reached out to touch his face and her hand went through him._

'This is the past._' The voice told her. '_It can't hurt you unless you let it._'_

_Meredith nodded and brushed a tear from her face._

'Come._' The voice said. '_There is still much you must deal with._'_

_The scene faded again._

* * *

Piper heard a door open from her place on the cabinet and strained to see who it was.

"What's that?" she called. "Who is that?"

"Don't worry, it's just me." Paige called from the open door to Magic School as students filed through it. "And some of the more unusual suspects."

"Wait, you think one of us is responsible?" Zach asked.

"You didn't know she thought that?" Slick asked mockingly. "What kind of telepath are you, anyway?"

He slapped the other boy upside the head.

"Stop picking on me!" Zach told him, annoyed.

"Yeah?" Slick replied. "Or what?"

"All right, guys, knock it off." Paige told them. "You're in my house."

"The Halliwell Manor." Herman, the conjurer, said, looking around. "I don't believe it. It's just like in the texts."

"It looks like my grandma's house." Quentin said.

"All right, all right, move it along, people." Paige said, herding them forward. "Let's go. Other room."

The door closed, and Paige followed the students into the Conservatory. Piper watched from her perch as the students filed in.

"All right, is everybody here?" Paige asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Herman replied.

"Kiss-ass." Quentin coughed.

"Hey!" Paige exclaimed. "Watch your mouth!"

"Whoa, it's Piper Halliwell!" Herman exclaimed, spotting the head on the cabinet.

"Yeah, but only part of her." Slick said. "And not the good part, either."

"Slick." Paige warned.

"Can it." Piper said firmly.

"Okay." Paige said. "Here's the deal, people. We know that one of you is behind this. So nobody is gonna leave here until we figure out who it is."

The students all groaned.

"So far, nobody has gotten killed." Paige said.

"Not yet, anyway." Piper added.

"And so far this has just been a really stupid prank." Paige continued. "So please, let's not let it go any further than that."

"Is Gideon gonna shut down the school?" Zach asked.

"Not unless he's forced to." Paige replied.

"Why don't you start with the conjurer?" Quentin suggested.

"Me?" Herman exclaimed. "What about you, Quentin? You're the Sleepy Hollow buff."

"Yeah, but Slick's the shapeshifter." Zach pointed out.

"Hey!" Slick protested. "Screw you, Zachary!"

"Wait, you guys." Piper said. "Just stop it, guys."

Paige turned and saw Chris motioning to her from the doorway near the kitchen.

"Seriously, why don't you just admit that you did it?" Quentin said to Herman.

"I would never do anything to harm a Charmed One." Herman shot back.

"I'll be right back." Paige whispered, leaning up to Piper.

"Where you going?" her sister demanded.

Meanwhile, the students continued to bicker.

"You're passing the blame like it's going out of style." Quentin said.

"Who you talking about 'passing the blame'?" Zach demanded.

"I'm not talking to you!" Quentin shouted.

"Hey!" Piper shouted.

"Hey, won't you calm down?" one student yelled.

"Quentin, shut up!" another shouted.

Piper whistled loudly and the kids froze.

* * *

Paige stormed into the kitchen where Chris waited for her, his back to the door.

"What are you doing here?" Paige demanded.

"I need your help." He said, turning around.

"My help?" Paige demanded. "That's rich, with what you pulled. Listen, I have enough juvenile delinquents to take care of, thanks."

"Hey, please." Chris pleaded. "Just hear me out. I'm running out of time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige demanded.

"Exactly that." Chris replied. "Don't you see? That's the only reason why I went to the demon. He can scan for evil, and maybe figure out who's gonna turn Wyatt, since we haven't been able to."

"Okay, you're not making any sense." Paige told him.

"Paige, listen to me." Chris told her. "I need you to trust me. And I need you to get Piper and Leo to trust me, too." He looked at her earnestly. "Before it's too late."

Paige studied him for a moment , but they were interrupted by shrieks coming from the next room.

"The Horseman!" someone shouted.

"Paige!" they heard Piper yell.

Chris and Paige both ran for the Conservatory.

"What happened?" Paige called.

They arrived just in time to see the Headless Horseman in the Conservatory. He headed towards Paige and swung his sword, but Chris pulled her down just in time, getting her safely away as the Horseman's sword hit the door frame. Meanwhile, the students screamed and scrambled out of the way.

With a swirl of his sword, the Horseman headed for the Conservatory doors. They flew open and the Horseman rode out into the back yard, the doors closing behind him.

The students gathered in the center of the Conservatory.

"Everyone all right?" Paige asked.

"I think so." Herman replied.

"Head count." Piper said, pausing. "No jokes, just do it."

She spotted Chris standing next to Paige.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Just trying to help." Chris said.

Paige finished the count and sighed.

"They're all here." She reported.

Gideon came through the doors from Magic School, which were now open.

"I heard the alarm." He said, coming down the stairs. "What's this doing open?"

"One of the students must have opened it without my seeing." Paige said.

"And the Horseman?" Gideon asked.

"Gone…" Chris replied, pointing to the conservatory doors, "out those doors."

Gideon took a deep breath.

"You have to stop him." He told them.

"Okay, well, we have to figure out – " Paige started.

"No." Gideon interrupted. "You don't understand. People on the outside aren't protected like we are at school. They'll die."

"Then we need Phoebe." Paige said.

"I'll get her." Chris offered.

Without waiting for a reply, Chris ran up the stairs and through the door.

"But you can't wait for her." Gideon told Paige. "You have to go after the horseman now."

"By myself?" she scoffed. "No. I can't vanquish him."

"You don't have to." Gideon told her. "All you have to do is lead him back to the school so that at least nobody will be killed."

Paige nodded.

"Don't let your concerns about Richard make you question yourself." He told her. "You can do this. I'll help you."

He held out his hand and Paige took hold of it as they both orbed out. When they were gone, Slick took a step out of the Conservatory, buy Piper stopped him.

"Ah, ah, ah." She called. "Where are you going?"

He turned and looked at her incredulously.

"Don't give me that look." She told him. "I still got a month. I could turn you into a toad."

Slick seemed to think about this.

* * *

A man, carrying a bag, ran through a dark alley, with a man with a gun chasing after him. He stopped and fired for shots at the man with the bag. He promptly dropped the bag and continued running.

The man with the gun ran to the bag to pick up the bag. He kneeled down and checked the contents. Behind him, a horse neighs.

In the fog, the Headless Horseman appeared and galloped through the alleyway.

The man stood up and turned around in time to see the swinging blade headed straight for his neck.

"NO!" he shouted.

In the back of the alleyway, Paige and Gideon orbed in. They saw the Horseman swing his blade and cut off the man's head.

The body fell to its knees and then down to the ground as the Horseman galloped away. As he passed Paige and Gideon, Gideon quickly conjured up a door to the school, opening it in time for the Horseman to run through it and back into the school.

The door closed and disappeared.

"Well, at least we got him back?" Paige said.

"Not soon enough, I'm afraid." Gideon said grimly. "The death of an innocent means the death of Magic School."

A/N: Okay, so this is supper long. I hope that makes up for the sporadicness of the updates. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	37. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell 4

Disclaimer: If I owned anything other than Meredith, do you think I'd writing this?

Ch. 37:

Paige and Gideon strode through the front doors of the manor.

"I just don't understand why the horseman targeted him." Paige was saying. "I mean, and why did he pass up so many others along the way?"

"Granted, it could have been a lot worse, but it doesn't change my mind." Gideon told her.

"The police said he was a killer, Gideon." Paige pointed out.

"Doesn't make it right." Gideon replied.

"No, it doesn't make it right, but you shouldn't shut down the school because of it." Paige protested. "We have the horseman contained. Now we just need to find – "

"It's too late." Gideon interrupted. "The damage has already been done. When I started this school, I made a promise that the magic within would never harm a soul. Otherwise…"

They were distracted by the sound of a frog. Paige looked into the Conservatory and her eyes went wide. Gideon slowly turned to see all the students standing in a semi-circle arc, staring down at a toad on the ground.

"Piper, you okay?" Paige called.

"Hunky-dory." Piper replied from her cabinet.

Paige looked at Gideon.

"You." She told him. "Come with me."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the kitchen, leaving the students looking slightly afraid of her body-less sister.

"Anybody else wanna try me?" Piper asked.

All the students looked down at the toad before taking a step back, none of them saying a word.

* * *

"Leo!" Paige called as she led Gideon into the kitchen.

"What do you want him for?" the Elder demanded.

"Reinforcements." She replied.

There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You have to talk him out of closing down the Magic School." Paige told him urgently.

"Someone let the horseman out." Gideon told him. "He killed a man."

"But why?" Leo asked.

"Why else?" Gideon replied. "To force my hand."

"If you let whoever's behind this win, all those kids are gonna lose." Paige told him. "Is that what you want?"

"Of course not." Gideon said. "But – "

"But what?" Paige interrupted. "Big deal. You have one bad apple. Just give us the time to flush him out, to save the next generations of magic."

"I know!" Gideon exclaimed. "But the rules – "

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but Paige rolled right over him.

"Screw the rules!" Paige told Gideon. "Listen, you are the one who talked me into doing this, you are the one who said I could do it, so don't give up on me now. Please. Just let us finish the job that we started. Tell him, Leo."

"I think you just did." Leo replied.

* * *

The toad in the Conservatory croaked one more time before there was a poof of white smoke and the toad turned back to Slick, who was crouched on the floor.

"Next time," Piper said, clearing her throat as he stood up, "I give you warts."

Slick glared at Piper…and then froze.

"Hey?" Piper called. "Who did that?"

She looked around at the kids, but everyone appeared frozen. She shifted her eyes and spotted someone moving.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded.

A hand came up and grabbed Piper by the hair.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Hey! Ow! Wait!"

The hand picked her up and began carrying her by her hair.

* * *

"Paige!"

Leo ran out of the kitchen when he heard Piper yell and Paige and Gideon followed him. When they reached the Conservatory, they found Piper gone and the kids still frozen. Gideon quickly ran to check the door while Leo checked the kids and Paige stared at where her sister's head had been.

"Piper?" she said. "Oh my god, Piper!"

"The door's still closed." Gideon said as he rejoined them.

"The kids are frozen." Leo said.

"Piper must have done that." Gideon said.

"Without hands?" Paige pointed out. "I don't think so."

"Someone from the outside?" Leo suggested.

"It's impossible." Paige said. "We got here too fast. It had to be one of them."

"The students?" Gideon asked, surprised. "No. They don't possess that kind of power. Besides, they're frozen."

"Then one of them's faking it." Paige replied.

* * *

_Meredith took a moment to get her baring as she shifted into another memory. This time, she found herself back in the manor, and her younger self was sitting on the couch with her arm around an even younger girl._

"_Oh, no." she murmured. "I know what this day is. Please, I don't want to see this again. Please."_

'Watch._' The voice ordered._

_Meredith closed her eyes for a second and swallowed before opening her eyes again. Her younger self was 14, and she was dressed in a simple black dress, with black boots and a black headband to hold her hair back. The other girl was 10, and she was dressed similarly, her brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail._

"_What is taking so long?" the young girl demanded. "We're going to be late."_

"_This is hard for everyone, Melinda." Meredith told her. "The boys just need some time. We'll get there, I promise. Just give them a little latitude, Mel."_

_Right at that moment, there was a huge bang from upstairs._

"_Screw you, Wyatt!"_

"_Not today." Melinda moaned. "Why do they have to do this today?"_

_A few seconds later, Chris appeared, his lip bleeding, and both girls got to their feet. A few seconds later, Wyatt strode after him, mad as hell._

"_Don't walk away from me, you little jerk!" he shouted, grabbing his younger brother's arm._

"_Both of you, stop it!" Melinda yelled._

_Chris whipped around and punched Wyatt in the face._

"_Stop it!" Melinda yelled. "Stop it!"_

"_Stay out of this, Melinda!" Wyatt ordered._

_Meredith strode over and grabbed Wyatt's hand, ripping it from Chris's arm. Wyatt retaliated by throwing her into the wall before punching Chris across the face. Melinda ran to Meredith as blood trickled down her forehead and Chris punched Wyatt again._

"_Stop it!" Melinda screamed._

_Her power lashed out, throwing both her brothers to the ground. Wyatt and Chris started to get up again, but Meredith reached out with her power and held them with the wind she called._

"_Don't move." She ordered._

_Both boys fought for a moment before going still. They all sat there, breathing hard._

"_Have you respect?" Melinda demanded. "Mom is dead! And you two are beating the crap out of each other when we should be on the way to her funeral! You two couldn't even pretend to like each other for her sake?"_

_She helped Meredith to her feet and both girls looked down at the boys._

"_You two should be ashamed of each other." Meredith told them, leaning against Melinda. "Piper would be. What the hell are you two fighting about anyway?"_

"_It doesn't matter." Chris muttered. "I'm done. After the funeral, I'm asking to move in with Aunt Paige."_

"_Good riddance." Wyatt hissed._

"_What are you talking about?" Melinda gasped. "You can't leave! What if the demon that killed mom comes back? We need to be together!"_

"_I'll always protect you, Mel." Chris told her. "But I can't stay here. Not with him."_

_He glared at Wyatt, who glared right back._

"_This isn't the time." Meredith interjected. "The funeral is in a half an hour, and we were supposed to be there an hour ago. We'll talk about this later."_

"_Come on." Melinda said. "You two clean yourselves up while I get Mer to Aunt Paige. What is wrong with you two? You could've really hurt her!"_

_Neither boy would look at her._

_The scene blurred and they were in a graveyard. Chris and Wyatt stood on either side of the grave, looking down at the freshly covered ground. A second later, Meredith walked up, standing at the end of the grave._

"_Uncle Leo wants us back at the manor." She said dully, her eyes red. "Are you two ready to tell me what the hell happened at home?"_

"_Ask the 'chose one'." Chris said sarcastically._

"_You little bastard." Wyatt hissed._

"_Stop it." Meredith ordered. "You are standing on your mother's grave, and you can't even be civil?"_

"_She shouldn't be dead." Chris hissed. "What the hell is the purpose of the twice-blest if he can't even save her?"_

"_It wasn't her destiny." Wyatt told him._

"_Bullshit." Chris shot back. "This whole family is all about screwing destiny. You could've saved her, you just didn't want to!"_

"_Back to the manor, both of you." Meredith said, stepping in before they could start a full blown fight on top of Piper's grave. "You should be ashamed."_

_They only hesitated for a second before orbing away, leaving Meredith alone in front of the grave. She knelt down in the dirt and her older self moved to see her face. It was full of rage._

'Chris was angry at Wyatt for not saving her._' The voice said._

_It had settled into a shape next Meredith, but she couldn't take her eyes from her younger self._

'Wyatt used this as proof that there was no good or evil, only power._' The voice continued. '_What did you feel?_'_

"_Anger." Meredith whispered._

'At what?_' the voice asked._

"_Everything." She replied. "After we lost Piper, it was only a short amount of time until we were all either dead, or fighting for our lives."_

'But what was the focus of your anger?_' the voice asked. '_What was it that kept you from summoning me?_'_

"_Magic." Meredith replied. "All of it, good and evil. I'm angry at magic. What the hell use is it if it couldn't save her? All of us. All we could do was watch her die. We were the most powerful magical beings in the world and we couldn't save her."_

_She looked over and saw a large black panther sitting next to her._

"_I can see you now." She said, dully._

_The panther nodded it's head._

'You have taken your anger into yourself and understood it._' She heard in her head, knowing it came from the large cat next to her. '_Now I can help you free yourself from it. If you'll let me._'_

_Meredith nodded, tears streaming down her face._

* * *

"Ow." Phoebe muttered as she fell out of her trance an onto the floor.

She checked her wounded shoulder and sighed.

"Okay." She said. "You know what? Enough already."

"Every journey requires a sacrifice." Koko told her as she sat up.

She held out another cup and Phoebe glared.

"My whole life is about sacrifice." She told her. "If that's all my future holds, then I don't want to see it."

"You're fighting it." Koko replied. "Don't."

She got to her feet and walked around the fire, pausing to gently wipe a tear from Meredith's cheek, before making her way over to Phoebe.

"Don't use your powers to get through." She told her. "They're not working very well, anyway. Just let it come to you. Want it more than anything."

She held the cup out to Phoebe. She reluctantly took it and drank it.

* * *

_Phoebe made her way slowly down the stairs, the doorway to the Conservatory still blocked by a swirling white veil._

_To her right, a demon appeared and powered up a fireball. He threw it at her and she stood there, not even moving to defend herself, and it passed through her harmlessly. The demon jumped at her and also passed through her, vanishing on the other side._

_Phoebe kept her eyes on the swirling white veil and walked toward it._

_A second demon ran at her and tried to grab her. He, too, passed harmlessly though her and disappeared. _

_She continued on and the third demon dropped down from the ceiling on top of her, disappearing without harming her._

_With the path clear, Phoebe walked towards the white veil and entered, the world fading to white._

* * *

_On the other side, Phoebe walked into the Conservatory, feeling herself become real and a part of the vision. She looked around and saw a young version of Meredith, about 8 years old, sitting on the floor. Next to her were two boys, one sitting next to her, and the other standing next to him, playing with a game._

_Piper came in the room, carrying a stuffed bear, which Meredith held out her arms for, and picking up other toys._

"_Wyatt," Piper told the boy with the game as she handed the bear to Meredith, "let your little brother play with the game, too, please."_

"_Little brother?" Phoebe repeated, confused._

_Paige joined them, dressed in black teaching robes._

"_Hey, Piper, can you take Phoebe to the doctor, instead?" she asked. "I have so many papers to grade, thank you."_

_She walked out, leaving a very confused Phoebe in her wake._

"_The doctor?" she asked._

"_Yeah." Piper agreed. "We need to make sure our little niece is doing okay."_

_She walked away and Phoebe looked down at herself, lifting her shirt to see her very pregnant belly._

"_Aunt Phoebe…?"_

_She looked up to see the younger boy standing in front of her, holding Meredith's hand._

"_We need your help." He continued._

_Phoebe stared at him, her mouth hanging open._

* * *

"Phoebe, can you hear me?"

Chris kneeled in front of Phoebe.

"We need your help." He told her.

Phoebe slowly came out of her vision, staring at Chris in wonder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Uh…" Phoebe murmured. "I don't know."

She turned and looked at Koko.

"Am I…?" she asked.

"You tell me." Koko replied. "What'd you see?"

"Uh…I saw children…" Phoebe said. "And my child…and a life without demons. Is that even possible?"

"With your powers, you know by now what is truth and what is not." Koko told her. "Embrace those powers again. Embrace your path, and it will lead you there."

"You don't know how much you've given me." Phoebe told her.

"You should go." Koko said. "So you can use your power to help us save our school."

"What about Meredith?" Chris asked, looking at the other woman.

"She is still finding her way." Koko replied. "It will not be long now. I will send her to you."

Chris nodded.

* * *

The doorway opened and Chris and Phoebe walked out into the stairway.

"Phoebe, I'm so glad to see you." Paige greeted them. "I was worried."

"What's the matter?" Chris asked. "Didn't you trust me?"

"Separate subject." Leo told him.

Chris rolled his eyes.

"How's Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"You're not gonna like it." Paige told her.

"She's been kidnapped." Leo said.

"What?" Chris and Phoebe both exclaimed.

"That's it." Chris said, turning around. "I don't care what Meredith is discovering about herself, I'm dragging her ass back here to help."

"No." Phoebe told him, grabbing his arm. "She needs to do this. You have to let her finish."

"Besides, that's just the bad news." Paige said. "The good news is that she's here…" she nodded around the room. "Somewhere."

"Well, if one of the students took her, I can't sense which one it is." Gideon said.

"Maybe I can." Phoebe said, stepping forward and nodding to Gideon. "Thanks to your wolf."

She strode away from the others and into the group of students.

"I can sense…pain." She said, tapping into her Empath abilities. "And anger, a lot of anger. Wants revenge."

She turned and looked at the others.

"Do any of them hate the high school?" she asked.

"Honey, they're teenagers." Paige replied. "They all hate the school. But he's a conjuror."

She pointed at Herman and Phoebe turned to focus on him.

"No." She said. "It's not him. But who's this guy?"

She moved over to Zach.

"A telepath." Paige replied.

"Yeah." Phoebe said, focusing on him. "He's telepathing a whole lot of rage right now."

"Well," Zach said, giving up the charade. "Look who just solved the case."

"Zachary?" Gideon exclaimed.

"Surprise." The boy replied.

He vanished.

"What happened?" Chris demanded. "Where did he go?"

"That wasn't Zachary." Leo said. "That was an astral projection."

"He doesn't have that power." Gideon protested.

"No, but a teacher here does." Paige pointed out. "And Herman's a conjuror, and Piper can freeze."

"He's using his telepathy to tap into other people's powers." Phoebe summed up.

"Where's the real Zachary?" Leo asked.

"He's at the school." Paige replied. "With Piper."

"I need to get Meredith out of there." Chris insisted.

"Koko will keep her safe." Phoebe assured him. "We need to get Piper back from him."

"But what does he want with her?" Chris asked.

* * *

Paige and Phoebe turned a corner and entered the Great Hall.

"You don't think he'll kill her, do you?" Paige asked.

"You know what?" Phoebe replied. "I have no idea."

Behind them, the Horseman appeared and began galloping towards them.

"He's just a kid." Paige said. "I just hope he's not luring us here."

The horse neighed and reared up as Paige slowly turned to find the Horse on its hind legs behind her. The girls both ducked as the Horseman swung, but it was too late.

The Horseman vanished, leaving Paige and Phoebe's heads on the floor. In front of them, Piper's head sat on a book on top a table.

"Mm-hmm." She murmured, smirking at them.

Zach walked up behind Piper and looked at them accusingly.

"You made me do this, you know?" he told them. "I didn't have a choice."

He walked away and Piper turned her focus back to her sisters' heads.

"So…" She asked, "now what are you guys gonna do?"

A/N: Let me know what you guys think! Come on! You know you want to! Just press the button!

Abbey


	38. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell 5

Disclaimer: Oh suck it up, people.

Ch. 38:

Chris entered the cave where Koko was sitting with Meredith.

"Have you come in search of guidance as well?" she asked as he sat down.

"Is she alright?" he asked, looking at Meredith.

"She has many wounds that must be healed." Koko replied.

"But she'll come through this, right?" Chris asked.

Koko smiled at him.

"Stronger than before." She replied. "Your love has much strength that has gone untapped. And you two have a destiny to complete. Together. Charmed."

Chris looked at her in shock.

"Not much is hidden from me, Christopher Halliwell." Koko told him. "But you need not fear. I hold secrets much larger than this. No one will learn it from me. Just promise me that you will take care of my student, this one and her younger self."

"I would do anything to keep both of them safe." Chris told her.

Koko smiled softly.

"I know this too." She told him.

* * *

In the Great Hall of Magic School, the three Halliwell Sisters' head sat on the table on top of some books.

"So…"Piper said. "Who's bright idea was this, anyway?"

"We were trying to save you." Phoebe told her.

"Yeah?" Piper replied. "Good job on that one."

"And who went and got her head stolen?" Phoebe shot back.

"While you were off contemplating your navel, while you still had one-" Piper said.

"Guys, we are not getting anywhere arguing." Paige interrupted.

"Actually, we're not getting anywhere because we don't have any bodies." Piper pointed out.

"Okay, look, we said we were sorry." Phoebe said.

"Can we try looking on the bright side?" Paige asked. "I mean, you know, we're still alive."

"Only 'cause Zachary can't kill us in here." Piper replied.

"I don't think he would if he could." Paige told her. "I mean, he practically apologized to us."

"I think she's right, actually." Phoebe agreed. "I didn't sense any anger from him, just a lot of sorrow."

"So, what?" Piper asked. "He did this to us just to get us out of the way? To do what?"

"To get revenge on the school." Phoebe replied.

"And Gideon." Paige added.

* * *

Back at the Manor, Gideon was pacing in front of Leo.

"How could I not have seen this?" he demanded. "How could I not have sensed his pain? After all these years with him?"

"It's not your fault, Gideon." Leo assured him. "Even you can't see everything."

"I should've seen this." Gideon shot back. "I should've focused more on the boy than on his magic."

The door to Magic School opened and Paige rushed in, her head back on her body.

"We have to get the kids out of here now." She told them.

"Why?" Gideon demanded. "What's the matter?"

"It's Zachary." She replied. "He's lost it."

"Orb them out." Gideon told Leo. "Up there. I'll try talking to him. Just go."

Leo turned and spread his arms, orbing himself and the students away.

"You should leave, too." Gideon told Paige.

"Why?" she asked.

In front of his eyes, Paige morphed into Zach.

"After all, I came here for you." He told him.

Zach waved his arm and Gideon went flying across the room and into an end table.

* * *

"Do you think this spell's gonna work?" Paige asked.

"Well, now that we know who conjured the horseman, it should." Piper replied.

"We won't know until we summon him," Phoebe said, "so let's just put our heads together and – "

Her sisters stared at her and she winced.

"You know what I mean, right?" she continued.

They all closed their eyes and concentrated. At the end of the Great Hall, the Headless Horseman appeared. The horse turned and started galloping toward them. They opened their eyes and saw the Horseman approaching…fast.

"Okay, now!" Phoebe called. "Now! Now!"

"Power of three, unite." The chanted together.  
"To end this grisly fright.  
Reverse the roles  
And make us whole."

He was right on top of them when the Horseman glowed gold and exploded. When he smoke cleared, the heads were gone.

On the ground, Phoebe and Paige's bodies have their heads again.

"Unh." Paige groaned as she sat up. "Thank god it worked."

Phoebe sat up quickly and began patting her body.

"Oh." She sighed. "Aw."

Paige sat there and watched her sister for a second.

"You want me to get you a room?" she finally asked.

They were interrupted by a loud whistle and they looked up to see Piper walking into the Great Hall.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go." She ordered.

Phoebe scrambled to her feet and gave Paige a hand up.

* * *

Gideon was on the ground, an athame being held telekinetically at his throat. He glanced down at it before looking back up to Zach.

"Why take it out on others, Zachary?" he asked. "Why not just come after me?"

Zach stood in front of Gideon, his arm outstretched as he held the athame with his power.

"'Cause I want you to suffer, Gideon." He told him. "Like you made me suffer ever since I got here. I want you to see your precious school destroyed, bit by bit."

"But that doesn't give you the right to kill an innocent." Gideon told him.

"Are you scolding me now?" Zach demanded angrily, pushing the athame forward slightly. "You gonna give me a demerit?"

He calmed down slightly and hesitated for a moment.

"That…that wasn't supposed to happen." He admitted. "I just wanted the sisters out of the way. Horseman's only supposed to hurt evil."

"Evil?" Gideon exclaimed. "You think teachers are evil?"

"They are when they keep me here against my wishes!" Zach shouted. "And they take me away from my family, my home! Without even thinking about what I want!"

"Why didn't you come to me?" Gideon asked.

"I did!" Zach yelled. "Damn it! Every time I snuck out. Every time I got in trouble. But you didn't care. You wouldn't listen!"

"We're listening."

Zach whirled around to see the sisters walk into the room. He held up his hand and they stopped.

"It's okay." Paige continued. "We're not gonna hurt you."

"We're here to help." Phoebe told him.

"How'd you get out?" he demanded.

"Magic." Piper replied.

"See, sometimes it takes us away from our lives, as well." Paige explained. "A lot more than we like it to."

"But it's who we are, whether we like it or not." Piper added. "We can't change that, and neither can you."

"You have to accept it." Phoebe told him.

Paige took a step forward.

"You have to realize this is not worth throwing your life away for." She told him, taking another step forward. "Just let it go."

Zach hesitated, looking back at Gideon.

"That's it…" Paige said soothingly. "Easy…"

Zach slowly lowered his arm, releasing the athame. It fell harmlessly down to the floor and Phoebe and Piper went to check on Gideon.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked him.

"Yes." Gideon replied slowly, looking at Zach. "I just guess I've been more…invisible then I realized over the years."

* * *

Chris guessed where Meredith had gone when she woke from her trance. And sure enough, under their willow, Meredith was sitting like she was waiting for him.

"Everything okay?" he asked, sitting down next to her. "You left the cave pretty quickly."

"Everything's great." She replied, smiling softly. "I just needed to see the sky."

She looked over at him and gently reached out to touch his face.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you, too." He replied.

She smiled again and took his hand, pulling him to his feet as she stood. "There's someone I want you to meet." She told him.

Meredith closed her eyes and Chris felt her power surge. A second later, there was a flash and a large black panther appeared.

"Holy Crap!" Chris exclaimed, jumping back a foot.

"It's alright." Meredith told him, laughing. "Calm down."

She kneeled down and rested her hand on the panther's head.

"Chris, I'd like you meet Hania." She told him. "He's my spirit guide."

"I thought only shamans could see spirit animals." Chris said, coming closer.

"Normally that's true." Meredith said, taking his hand and bringing it to the panther so it could smell him. "But my elemental powers allow me to bring him fully into this world for short periods of time. It's amazing, Chris! He can help me channel my powers, he can share my energy, he can protect me! I can even take his shape if I need to!"

Chris smiled at how happy she seemed.

"That does sound amazing, Mer." He told her. "I'm so proud of you."

He wrapped her in a hug, holding her tightly.

"I feel so much better, Chris." She told him, leaning her head on his chest. "I've been angry for so long, I think I'd forgotten what it was like to be without it. Hania helped me let it go."

"I'm happy for you, Mer." Chris told her, kissing the top of her head.

They stood like that for a moment until they felt something brush against them.

"Please tell me he isn't expecting food, because I don't think we have enough money to feed a panther." Chris said dryly.

Meredith giggled and shook her head.

"He wants to go back to the spirit world." She replied. "But he wants me to tell you that he's very glad I finally choose the right brother."

Chris laughed and Meredith glared at the panther. A second later, the spirit animal faded away.

"Come on." Meredith said, tugging on Chris' arm. "Orb me back to the club. I have a shift in a n hour and I need to get changed."

"I thought you didn't like it when I orbed you places." Chris said, wrapping her in his arms again.

"Yeah, but this way I get to hold you tight." She said, reaching up to kiss his neck.

Chris groaned and orbed them away.

* * *

In P3, Ziggy Marley was playing to a packed room. As he finished his song, the audience applauded loudly and Paige joined Phoebe and Piper at the bar.

"Hey, guys." Paige said, sitting down. "Wasn't Ziggy Marley supposed to play here before?"

"Yeah." Piper replied. "He had to reschedule. So, how's Zachary?"

"He's good." Paige replied. "He's at home with his family now, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him back at magic school someday. I think he, um, I think he heard us. You know about accepting himself."

"So, then, you're not gonna bind his powers?" Piper asked.

"No." Paige answered. "He didn't want me to. But he gave me a good idea about maybe doing that for somebody else."

"Richard?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Her sister replied. "You know, if he can't handle it, why should he have to? Maybe I can finally help him accept that."

"You're gonna make a really good teacher one day, Paige." Phoebe told her.

Paige stared at her.

"Teacher?" she repeated.

"Yes." Phoebe replied. "In magic school. I saw it with my very own…vision."

"Hmm." Piper murmured. "Well, I don't' think she's gonna be teaching Wyatt and Meredith any time soon. Suddenly, I'm more concerned about separating them from their family than raising them away from other children. I guess the two of them will be enough company for now."

"Actually, uh, there might be a day that you don't have to be concerned about that." Phoebe told her.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

Phoebe turned and saw Chris walk into the club with his arm slung over Meredith's shoulders, who was leaning into him, laughing, with her arm around his waist.

"I'm just saying…" she said, getting up and hurrying after them.

"What are you just saying?" Piper called after her. "Excuse me!"

* * *

The door to the back room opened and Chris and Meredith walked in.

"I'm just gonna get changed real quick." Meredith said, pulling away. "I think I left some work clothes here the other day."

Before the door could close, Phoebe slipped into the room.

"Hey." She said.

Chris and Meredith turned around as she shut the door behind her.

"Hey." Chris replied.

He stared at Phoebe awkwardly.

"Look, if this is about the whole demon thing-" Meredith started, but Chris stopped her.

"Did you come here to kick me out?" He asked Phoebe softly.

"Uh, no, actually…" Phoebe replied. "I came here to ask you a question."

"What?" Chris said, shrugging as Meredith moved closer to him.

"I need you to be honest with me." Phoebe told him. "No games. No running away. Just the truth."

"Okay." Chris agreed, glancing at Meredith, who smiled softly.

Phoebe took a deep breath.

"Are you Wyatt's little brother?" she asked.

Completely surprised by the question, Chris rocked back slightly. Meredith grabbed his hand and squeezed, making him look down at her. She smiled at him encouragingly and he sighed, looking back at Phoebe.

"Only if I can get Piper and Leo back together in time." Chris replied.

Phoebe nodded.

A/N: So, this episode's done. Let me know what you thought please!

Abbey


	39. I Dream of Phoebe 1

Disclaimer: Leave me alone you crazy people! They're not mine!

Ch. 39:

Phoebe walked into the bullpen of the Bay Mirror, bright-eyed and cheery.

"Good morning." She told Sophie as she approached. "Any phone calls?"

"Take your pick." Her assistant replied, standing up with a stack of phone messages in her hands. "You've got adulterers, cross-dressers, 34-year old virgins, and – oh, your nephew and niece."

Phoebe grabbed the stack of messages.

"Oh, Chris and Meredith called?" she asked.

"No, Meredith and Wyatt." Sophie replied. "Um, actually, I think Piper did the dialing. But, you have another nephew?"

"Um…no." Phoebe said quickly, turning to her office and backing away from her assistant. "Uh, but-but, you know, maybe someday I will, you know what I mean? Okay."

She quickly turned and headed into her office. Inside, she gasped when she saw Chris standing just beyond the doorway and Meredith laying on her couch with her arm thrown over her eyes. She sighed and closed the door.

"Phoebe, I need your help." Chris said without preamble.

"I have been calling for you all week." She told them, dropping her bag next to the couch. "Didn't either of you hear me?"

"I don't have sensing abilities." Meredith told her, not moving her hand. "I don't hear it if you call me."

"I heard you for the first couple of days, yeah." Chris said. "Then I put you on mute."

"You could put me on mute?" Phoebe asked, surprised.

"I had to." Chris replied. "We were busy. Now, I need your help."

"I'm just crashing on your couch." Meredith added.

Phoebe moved behind her desk and took off her jacket.

"Oh, yeah, and I need yours, too." Phoebe told him. "Because you come here, you drop this bombshell on me, and you expect me to keep this secret and I don't even know why I'm keeping the secret."

"Nobody can find out Piper and Leo are my parents." Chris told her. "I can mess with the whole future."

"Yeah, well, if you didn't want anyone to know, I don't know why you told me." Phoebe told him.

"I told you because you busted me, and I'm glad you did." Chris admitted.

Phoebe turned away and started flipping through her messages.

"I have been so focused on protecting Wyatt, I have completely forgotten about me." Chris continued. "This month is my conception date."

"Your conception date?" Phoebe repeated.

"That's where we've been." Meredith groaned. "I swear, we have seen every oracle, seer, soothsayer, and fortune teller on this planet. If I have to listen to one for clairvoyant talk about conception dates, I swear I'll kill someone."

"Despite Meredith's dramatics, they all gave us the same answer." Chris said. "If mom and dad don't screw this month, I'm screwed."

Meredith grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and whipped it at his head.

"Stop. Putting. It. Like. That. You twisted freak." She ordered. "The last thing I want in my brain is a picture of your parents creating you."

She shuddered and Chris sighed, throwing the pillow back at her. Phoebe, meanwhile, scrunched up her face.

"Okay, I'm just trying to get used to you being my nephew." She told him.

She paused as a thought hit her.

"Uh – " she hesitated. "I never hit on you, did I?"

Meredith covered her face with the pillow and groaned into it.

"What?" Chris exclaimed. "No!"

"Oh, thank god." Phoebe sighed.

"Can we focus here, please?" Chris asked. "Mom and dad need to have sex. Now, who's gonna tell 'em, you or me?"

"No." Phoebe replied. "Nobody's gonna tell them because we're not gonna reopen those wounds."

Chris went quite as he turned around. He walked back to the couch and sat on the arm rest, next to Meredith's head. She removed the pillow from her face and reached up to take his hand. Finally, he sighed and looked back up at Phoebe.

"Okay." He said. "So how do we get them back together?"

"No, 'we' – 'we'?" she said, waving her arms between them. "There is no 'we' here. 'We' don't. You're the one that split them up." She stared at him. "And why did you split them up?"

"Leo had to become an Elder to make room for me as your Whitelighter." Chris replied. "It was the only way I could protect Wyatt from turning evil."

"You're unbelievable." Phoebe told him. "I mean, most kids who are the cause of their parents' divorce actually feel guilty, and yet, you're sitting here like it's part of your master plan."

"I'm sensing some real issues here." Chris said.

Meredith reached up and punched him in the leg.

"Oh, you're damn right there are issues." Phoebe told him angrily. "You can't just pop in from the future and play with people's lives because your big brother picked on you."

Chris surged to his feet and Meredith sat up quickly, reaching for his hand, but missing it as he moved away from her.

"He picked on the world, Phoebe!" Chris shot back, just as angry. "He killed my daughter! Your great niece. Or doesn't that mean anything to you? You do realize that by my being your nephew and Jenny being my daughter, that means that Wyatt slaughtered his own flesh and blood. Your flesh and blood."

Meredith stood up and quickly grabbed Chris' hand, holding it tightly and leaning into his arm as Phoebe sat down heavily.

"It doesn't change the fact that your parents were happy until you split them up." Phoebe told him. "And now you want my help because you didn't think this all the way through?"

They all were silent for a moment.

"Feel better?" Chris asked her.

"Yes." Phoebe replied. "You?"

"Yeah." He answered. "Will you help me?"

"No." Phoebe said.

She hesitated for a second and then sighed.

"Oh, I don't know." She told him, covering her eyes with her hands.

"If I'm not conceived in the next couple weeks, I'll disappear forever." Chris told her.

Phoebe looked up at him and he sighed, looking down at a letter in her tray.

"You're willing to help complete strangers." He said. "How about family?"

He picked the letter up and held it out to her. She grabbed the letter from him and froze as a premonition hit her.

_A woman was screaming…_

_No, no, no, no, no, no! Please!_

_A demon stood in front of her, laughing. He fired a green bullet of light at her and she fell to her knees as he laughed maniacally._

"What is it?" Chris asked as she returned to the present. "What'd you see?"

"A woman being attacked." Phoebe replied.

"Where?" Meredith asked.

Phoebe glanced down at the letter.

* * *

Phoebe led Meredith and Chris into a cave in the middle of a desert.

"Looks like a dig site." Phoebe said, looking around.

"In a desert in the middle east." Chris pointed out. "You sure your scrying wasn't off?"

"Maybe Jinny is an archaeologist." Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah." Chris replied. "Why would an archaeologist in the middle east send a letter to an advice columnist in San Francisco?"

"She said she was with a controlling man." Phoebe said.

"Okay, totally missing the point, but nice try." Meredith told her. "Chris was trying to point out that this might be a trap. Which I happen to agree with."

They looked around and Chris spotted a small roped off area around a set of bones being excavated.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, bending over to look at them.

"Ouzgal!" came a shout from behind them, accompanied by the sound of a sword being unsheathed. "Mordeh shooret!"

Phoebe and Meredith turned to see two men coming at them. Meredith sent a bolt of lightning at one of them, while Phoebe threw a potion at the other. Both went up in flames.

"Do you think anyone heard them?" Chris asked.

"This is us you're talking about, remember?" Meredith replied. "Of course they heard them."

From the doorway came a green blast, hitting Chris in the shoulder. Phoebe turned and saw the demon from her vision as Meredith ran to Chris' side. The demon was riding on a flying carpet and as he passed some scaffolding, Chris motioned, using his power to bring it and the cave wall down on top the demon. The carpet stopped and, surprised, the demon dropped the object he was carrying.

A bottle.

"NO!" he yelled as it fell.

Phoebe threw a potion on the ground just under the magic carpet. It sent a white cloud of smoke rising up to the air and the carpet reared around. The demon growled at Phoebe as he rode out of the cave.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked, running over to Meredith and Chris.

"Who cares?" Meredith replied, staring after the demon. "Was that a flying carpet? I want one!"

"Thanks for the sympathy." Chris told her dryly. "And the last thing we need is for you to have is a flying carpet."

"Oh, come on." She whined.

Ignoring them, Phoebe looked around.

"What is that?" she asked, spotting the object that had fallen.

She walked over and picked the bottle up. She brushed aside the dirt from the bottle, rubbing it clean. A stream of pinkish smoke shot out of the bottle, a whirlwind that finally manifested into the girl from her vision, Jinny.

"Thank you for responding to my letter." Jinny told her.

"Wait." Phoebe said. "Are you Jinny?"

"At your service, Master." Jinny replied, smiling.

Phoebe grimaced and looked at Chris and Meredith.

"Ah, crap." Meredith muttered.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think! REVIEW!

Abbey


	40. I Dream of Phoebe 2

Disclaimer: If I told you I won Charmed in a poker game, would you believe me? Yes? Cool. I won Charmed in a poker game.

Ch. 40:

Chris shifted impatiently on the wicker seat in the Conservatory as Leo healed his shoulder. Meredith had disappeared upstairs and Phoebe was standing with Jinny.

"I could heal him, master." Jinny told her. "Your warrior needs his strength. My last master will be coming back for me."

"I think he's got it under control." Phoebe replied.

"Good idea." Jinny agreed. "Save your wishes."

"Did you get a look at the demon?" Leo asked Phoebe.

"I did, and when we're done here, I'll go up to the Book of Shadows to check it out." She said. "I also called Paige to see if she'd keep an eye on Jinny for me."

Leo finished the healing and sat back.

"Thanks." Chris said.

"There's no need to guard me." Jinny protested. "Even if I was not bound to serve you, I would do it anyway for sparing me from Bosk."

"Bosk?" Phoebe repeated.

"My last master." Jinny replied. "He was cruel, even for a demon. And I would know. My bottle has been passed around from demon to demon for centuries."

"That's terrible." Leo said.

"You cannot begin to know." Jinny said. "That is why I got the message to Phoebe. I knew if she had my bottle, she would wish me free."

"No wishes." Phoebe told her. "I know all about genies. You're tricksters."

"Listen, I gotta get back up there." Leo said, getting to his feet. "You think you can handle this without Piper?"

"Where is Piper?" Chris asked.

"On a date." Leo replied.

"On a date in the middle of the day?" Chris asked.

"Yeah." Phoebe replied. "Greg works night."

Chris went quiet as he tried to remember who Greg was.

"Greg, Greg…" He muttered, his eyes widening as he figured it out. "Greg the fireman?"

Phoebe nodded.

"You mean the one she's insanely sexually attracted to?" he demanded, turning to Leo. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"No." the Elder replied. "If it makes her happy, that's all that matters."

"Oh, come on!" Chris exclaimed, standing up. "What about all this 'forbidden lovers, you and me against the world' stuff? That just doesn't go away."

"Chris, calm." Meredith called as she came down the stairs. "Deep breaths."

She walked over to them and held out a piece of paper to Leo.

"What's this?" he asked, taking it.

"Mer made it." She told him. "I promised I'd give it to you when I saw you."

He looked down at the paper and smiled slightly. It was a simple child's drawing of a flower and on the bottom it said 'For Uncle Leo'.

"I wrote the note for her, but she wanted to draw everyone a picture." Meredith told him.

"I got a rainbow." Phoebe said, grinning. "Chris got a heart."

"And we're going to stop talking about that right now." Meredith told her.

"Tell her thank you from me." Leo told her.

"Can we get back to my subject?" Chris interrupted. "How can you just let Piper go?"

"You know, Chris, it's a little late for male bonding, especially since I'm petitioning the other Elders to send you back to your time." Leo told him.

"What?" Chris exclaimed.

"You can't!" Meredith cried at the same time.

"Wait, are you serious?" Phoebe demanded.

"You look tense, master." Jinny told her. "Neck rub?"

Phoebe brushed her hands away. Meredith reached forward and plucked the picture from Leo's hands.

"You can have this back when you stop being an ass." She told him.

"Look, even though Chris's intentions are good, his methods have put us all at risk." Leo told them. "So, he and Meredith have to go back."

"You mean 'abandoning' me again." Chris muttered softly.

Meredith rested her hand on his arm.

"You can't send us back." She told Leo. "If you send us back, he will kill us."

"Look, you did your job." He told her. "You warned us about an evil that was after Wyatt. I think we can handle it from here."

"And if you can't?" Meredith demanded. "You don't know what Wyatt did to those he considered threats, and by the time I left, Chris and I were public enemies one and two. He won't just kill us. He'll torture us for weeks and then he will publically put us to death to warn others from betraying him. If you send us back, you're signing our death warrants."

Leo responded by orbing out.

"I gotta stop him." Chris murmured.

"Don't worry." Phoebe said. "I'll talk to Leo."

"No, no, not Leo." Chris replied. "Greg, the fireman. He's about to sleep with my mom."

"Are you kidding me?" Meredith demanded. "I vote we go tie up the guy who wants to send us to our deaths and sit on him until he changes his mind! Look, I'm sorry Aunt Piper is going to sleep with a fireman, possibly leaving you half mortal, but I would prefer to stay alive!"

"Half mortal?" Chris said, swallowing. "I've gotta go."

He started to orb away.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Phoebe sighed.

Jinny put her hands together, nodded her head and blinked her eyes. Chris reappeared, stunned.

"What just happened?" he demanded.

"That is…" Meredith breathed.

"Bad." Phoebe finished.

"Awesome!" Meredith disagreed. "What I wouldn't have given to have the ability to do that during some of our fights! How'd you do it?"

"Your wish is my command, Master." Jinny told Phoebe.

"Oh." Meredith said. "Oops."

In the other room, they heard the front door open and close.

"All right, so where's the genie?" Paige called.

Phoebe headed into the living room to meet Paige, who came in from the foyer.

"Oh, my god, you landed one!" she exclaimed.

"She's a genie, not a trout." Phoebe told her.

"You still have two wishes, master." Jinny said. "I suggest you save one for Bosk."

"I told you, no wishes." Phoebe replied. "We're gonna do this our way."

"But you cannot handle him." Jinny protested. "Nobody can. He has a flying carpet and an army of forty thieves."

"Thirty-eight." Phoebe corrected. "Meredith and I vanquished two."

"Let me guess." Paige said. "He wanted a crew and a nice ride. Original for a demon's wish, eh?"

"Yes, and if Bosk gets me back, he will force me to grant his third wish." Jinny replied.

"What's his third wish?" Paige asked.

Suddenly, large diamond earrings appeared on Paige's ears. Her hands flew up to them and Phoebe turned to Jinny.

"Did you do that?" she asked.

"No, but they are lovely." Jinny exclaimed. "Who conjured them for you?"

"My boyfriend Richard." Paige sighed. "He's been showering me with gifts all week."

"I thought you were gonna talk to him about binding his powers." Phoebe said.

"I have, but every time I bring it up, I just get another present." Paige told her. "Luxury problem, I know, but still…"

"Yeah, now back to the demon." Phoebe said. "Uh, what was his third wish?"

"Zanbar." Jinny whispered.

'Zanbar…?' Phoebe mouthed to Paige.

"What's Zanbar?" Her younger sister asked.

"The Lost City." Jinny explained. "Before being swallowed up by the desert, it was the seat of power for an evil empire."

"Phoebe!" Chris called, walking in with Meredith laughing on his heels. "Will you do something, please? I can't orb."

"Don't you dare!" Meredith told her. "I'm finally getting my revenge for trapping me in the house for a month before the whole 'demon with no name' fiasco."

A diamond bracelet suddenly appeared on Paige's left wrist.

"Damn him." She muttered.

"You know, Paige, if he won't listen to you, maybe he'll listen to his family." Phoebe suggested.

"Most of them are dead." Paige pointed out. "Remember the feud?"

"Please, we do not have time for this!" Jinny interrupted. "If Bosk captures me, Zanbar will rise again from the dust."

"It's just a city." Paige said.

"A city of magic." Jinny replied. "Bosk has been using his thieves to search for its former site. If he finds it and wishes it back, there will be no stopping him. That is why you must wish me free, master. If I am not a genie, it will solve your problems and mine. I beg you."

"Hey…" Chris interrupted. "A little help here? Please?"

"Ha!" Meredith said. "Not so fun being trapped in the manor, is it? Being forced to rely on conventional means to get places!"

"I have a new wish." Chris told Phoebe. "Make her leave me alone."

Meredith stuck her tongue out at him.

At that moment, Paige's clothes were changed into elegant night wear, with her hair all done up. She stared down at herself in shock.

"Okay, I'm losing my mind." Phoebe moaned. "Uh, Paige, go to Richard. Deal with it, so you can help us."

"Okay." Paige agreed, turning and leaving.

Phoebe turned her attention to Chris.

"You." She said, walking over to him. "I will help you get your parents back together, but it has to be on my terms, agreed?"

"Agreed." Chris replied.

"And you." She said, rounding on Meredith. "Stop picking on Chris."

"Fine." Meredith said with a huff.

"Now, Chris, go get Piper." Phoebe said. "We could use her help. Uh…"

She turned back to Jinny.

"I wish that he could orb." She told the genie.

Jinny put her hands together, nodded and blinked. A second later, Chris orbed out and Phoebe turned back to Meredith.

"Go keep an eye on him." She told the other woman. "Make sure Piper doesn't kill him."

"Are you kidding?" Meredith replied. "The son from the future confronts his mother and the guy who might become his father by accident? There is no way I'm missing this. I should sell tickets."

She melted into the shadows with a wave and Phoebe sighed. She turned back and headed for Jinny.

"And we need to find a vanquishing potion for that demon." Phoebe told her.

She left the room, Jinny in tow.

"Oh, yes, master." She said.

"Phoebe!" Phoebe corrected her.

"Yes, Master…Phoebe." Jinny replied.

* * *

While this was all happening, Piper and Greg were sitting on Greg's couch, happily making out. Behind them, the glow of orb lights appeared.

"Piper!" Chris called, knocking on the door insistently. "Piper!"

Piper pulled away from Greg for a moment.

"Forget it." She told him.

The resumed kissing and the knocking continued.

"I know you're in there!" Chris called. "Please open the door, now?"

Piper sighed and pulled away again.

"Just a sec." she told Greg.

She got up and headed for the door as Chris continued to knock.

"Piper?" he called. "Open this door. Piper!"

She wrenched the door opened and glared at him. Meredith, who was leaning on the wall behind him, chuckled.

"Go away!" she told them.

Greg came up behind Piper.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Yeah, many problems, many levels." Chris replied. "Piper has to come home now."

Meredith pushed herself off the wall and leaned up to whisper in Chris' ear.

"I take it back." She told him so the other two couldn't hear her. "His genetics look better. Let's just go."

Chris turned and glared at him as she smirked up at him.

"Not helping." He told her.

She shrugged and went back to leaning on the wall.

"Excuse me." Greg said. "Who are you again?"

"I'm just here as a spectator." Meredith said, waving as Piper glared at her. "And I'm shutting up now."

"Good choice." Piper growled at her.

"Right." Meredith agreed meekly.

"I'm a friend of her husband's." Chris said.

"Ex-husband." Piper said with an awkward chuckle. "And he's not really a great friend. Um, it's okay. I got it."

"Well, I'm here if you need me." Greg told her, leaning down to kiss her.

Chris scoffed and Meredith reached out to kick him in the back of the leg. Greg stepped away and Piper stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"What is this big emergency?" she demanded. "Can't it wait an hour? Or two?"

"No, it can't." Chris told her.

"As much as I like to disagree with Chris as much as possible, I have to agree with him on this occasion." Meredith told her. "We should mark it on a calendar."

"There's a demon on the loose." Chris said, ticking off each problem on a finger. "A genie running amuck. Oh, and it took me two wishes to get here."

"You can't make wishes with genies." Piper told him.

"See?" Chris replied. "We need you. Come on. Let's orb."

He reached for her arm and Piper swatted his hand away.

"No, no, no!" she told him. "Listen, I'm not gonna leave him high and dry again without an explanation. So your demon can wait five minutes."

Piper opened the door and walked back in the apartment as Chris glared at her back.

"You know, with you obsession with orbing, I'm starting to think you might have an addiction." Meredith told him.

Chris sighed and orbed away.

"The first step to getting better is admitting you have a problem! Chris! Someone needs to bring Piper home! Chris!" she called after him, melting into the shadows as she followed him back to the manor.

* * *

Bosk walked up to a cave wall and took off his jacket.

"Open sesame!" he said.

The cave wall disappeared, revealing a hidden cavern behind it. Inside the cavern, thieves moved around, working, as Bosk walked in.

"What happened?" the Head Thief asked as Bosk walked by angrily.

"The genie was stolen, thanks to your warriors." He told him, throwing his jacket at the Head Thief.

"They were my two best swordsmen." He protested.

"Yeah, well, swords don't work real well against potions." Bosk said. "What in the hell are witches doing way out here?"

"We have defenses against their type." The Head Thief told him.

He walked over to a table and picked up a box with an amulet on a chain inside.

"The Eye of Aghbar." He told him, carrying the box over to him. "It protects against witches' magic."

Bosk picked up the amulet and smiled.

"I need that genie." He told the Head Thief. "I've got to find out where Zanbar's buried before I wish for its return. I can't risk another demon beating me to the throne."

"As you wish." The Head Thief agreed.

Bosk took the amulet and walked away, and a moment later, the Head Thief promptly dropped Bosk's jacket.

* * *

"Richard?"

Paige walked into Richard's potions vault from the main hall.

"Ri-i-ichard…" she called.

She stepped up to the table and absently picked up an item. Behind her, Richard blurred into sight.

"You like your earrings?" Richard asked, startling her.

She took a stepped away, putting her hand on her chest.

"Ohh." She exclaimed. "You're materializing now."

"Yeah." Richard replied. "Pretty handy, huh? So, uh, you like your earrings?"

"Yeah." Paige said. "There's a bit of a problem."

"They're too small." Richard worried. "No, they're – They're too big." He took a step towards the counter. "I – I can shrink them. Let's see. Um…"

He turned around.

"No, that's not the problem." Paige told her. "Look, I just – you've given me enough."

"I'm just trying to make you happy." Richard replied. "I want you to know that I care."

"What would make me really happy is if you just stopped with all the potions and all the magic, just for a while." Paige told him.

"Didn't we have this conversation?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, but apparently only one of us was listening." Paige told him.

"No, I was listening." Richard said. "I mean, that's why I'm doing this, to prove that I can handle it. Look, I'm not turning into a dark beast, right?"

"But that's not the point." Paige said.

"Most women would thank a guy for that, but…" Richard said, looking for the right world. "You're treating me like a common criminal."

"Well, I guess I'm not most women." Paige told him.

He nodded and pushed past her on his way out the door.

"I gotta go." He muttered. "Hope you liked the earrings."

Paige stayed there, staring off into space.

* * *

Jinny stood at the Book, flipping through the pages.

"Oh, he was my master once…" she said, pointing, "and him, too…and her."

Phoebe stood nearby at the potions table, working.

"Boy, you sure got around." She said. "How did so many demons get a hold of you anyway?"

"Some bought, some stole." Jinny replied. "I changed hands so many times, I lost track."

Phoebe sighed and turned to look at the Genie.

"I'm sorry I can't set you free, but whishing is just too risky right now." She told her.

Chris and Piper orbed into the attic, Meredith stepping out of the shadows as second later.

"Okay, let's go." Piper said quickly. "Greg's not gonna wait forever."

"Well, then you should dump him." Chris said.

Meredith reached up and slapped him upside the head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper demanded.

"He's just being overprotective." Phoebe told her.

Piper looked around and spotted Jinny.

"I take it you're the…Genie." She said.

"Jinny." The other woman replied.

"Jinny the genie." Phoebe explained.

"Of course." Piper replied. "Who's the demon?"

Chris and Meredith walked over to the Book and looked down at the demon Jinny pointed to.

"Uh…" Chris said, reading. "He's a low-level demon with minimal powers. There's a vanquishing potion."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "That's what I'm working on."

"Good." Piper said. "Then you're almost done with me, too. Okay, so what's your plan? Are you gonna summon him to us?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Phoebe said.

"What's the rush?" Chris asked.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but Greg's shift starts in a few hours, and I won't see him for three days." Piper told him. "So, I'm gonna go call him. And, um…I'd put the genie back in the bottle just to be safe. No offense, but we've been burned before."

Piper walked out of the attic and Phoebe picked up the bottle, holding it out to Jinny.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"Yes, master." Jinny replied.

The genie crossed her arms, turned into a pink stream of smoke and funnels back into the bottle.

"I feel so bad!" Phoebe said.

She put the bottle back on the potion table and Meredith walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Phoebe rested her head on Meredith's shoulder, wrapping her arm around her adoptive niece's waist.

"As well you should." Chris told Phoebe. "If we don't do something soon, I could end up half-fireman instead of half-whitelighter."

"Of, for goodness sakes." Phoebe sighed as Meredith glared at him.

"Look, I'm running out of time here." Chris told them. "So what do you say we get to use that genie to make mom and dad, you know…"

"Christopher!" Meredith exclaimed.

"That's vile….and against the rules." Phoebe told him. "I would think that you wouldn't wanna be conceived that way."

"Well, it beats not being conceived at all." Chris shot back.

"Okay, seriously, Chris?" Meredith said, walking over and taking his face between her hands. "Calm. The. Hell. Down. I'm not about to let you disappear, so just chill out. Have I ever led you astray in the past? Don't answer that. Just trust me."

"Look, I told you I would help you on my terms." Phoebe told him. "Okay? So back off."

"Fine." Chris sighed.

"Good boy." Meredith said, reaching up and kissing him quickly.

"What are your terms?" Chris asked, looking at Phoebe.

"Hmm." Phoebe said thoughtfully. "Not really sure yet, but I am done with this potion."

She siphoned some of it into a vial.

"So as soon as Piper gets back, we are ready to go." She told them.

The moment she said that, Bosk came crashing into the attic on his flying carpet, knocking Chris down as he flew to the center of the room. The carpet came to a stop and Bosk jumped off. Phoebe threw the potion at him and it exploded harmlessly in front of him as his amulet glowed red, protecting him.

"Not this time, witch." He said smugly.

He threw a green dart at Phoebe, who ducked, shouting for Piper as she jumped out of the way.

"Piper!"

Meredith slammed her hands together and pulled them apart, electricity arcing between them. When it had grown to sufficient power, she sent a giant bolt flying towards Bosk. The amulet glowed red and absorbed the electricity.

"Hania!" she yelled, jumping out of the way as Bosk threw a green dart at her.

The black panther materialized in the air as he leapt at Bosk. He knocked the demon to the ground, swiping his paw across his face, leaving bloody cuts. The demon threw the panther off him and jumped to his feet as the Hania circled him.

Phoebe made it to cover behind the potion table and opened her mouth to make her final wish.

"Jinny, I wish you free!" she yelled.

Pink smoke funneled out of the bottle and settled on the attic floor. Meredith moved to Chris' side and helped him sit up as Hania moved to stand between them and the smoke and demon. They all watched as Jinny walked out of the smoke, dressed all in black.

"Well, it's about time." She said.

Bosk took a step back, fear showing in his face.

"Who's the master now?" she continued.

She conjured a fireball and hurled it at Bosk, vanquishing him. Piper came into the attic as Jinny stepped towards the potions table and the genie's bottle.

"Chris!" she shouted.

Chris held out his hand and the bottle flew off the table to him, while Hania leapt at Jinny. She ducked and Hania missed her by inches. Piper tried to blast her, but she ducked again and ran towards the flying carpet, diving onto it and flying out the broken window.

Once she was gone, Piper looked around and Chris got to his feet, the genie's bottle in his hand. Meredith walked over to Hania, who rubbed his face on hers when she knelt in front of him.

"Thank you." She told the panther.

Hania nodded his head regally and disappeared.

"Where's Phoebe?" Chris asked, looking around.

"Here!" a muffled, tiny voice called.

The other three looked around for Phoebe, but didn't see her.

"In here!" the voice called again.

Chris looked at the bottle in his hand and tilted it to peer inside. Inside was a tiny Phoebe, dressed as a Genie, waving up at him.

"Hello….Master." she said sheepishly.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Let me know. Also, it occurs to me that I let the whole 'reward people who review by posting their name' thing lapse, so I'm going to catch up!

130 – lizardmomma

140 – klandgraf2007

150 – Rhatch89

160 – klandgraf2007

Next award will go to the person that gets the story to 170! Good luck!

Abbey


	41. I Dream of Phoebe 3

Disclaimer: What is this 'copyright' you speak of?

Ch. 41:

Phoebe stood in the center of the bottle looking up at the opening.

"Will you come out of there, please?" Piper demanded.

"I can't!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I don't know how. Try commanding me."

"Uh, okay." Piper replied. "Get the hell out of there!"

"No, not you!" Phoebe said, waving piper aside. "My…master."

Piper looked up and nodded to Chris. She walked around the table to stand with Meredith and Chris switched places with her.

"You mean me?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, you did pick up the bottle, didn't you?" Phoebe replied.

"'Cause he's an idiot." Meredith muttered.

"Not helpful." Chris told her before turning back to the bottle. "All right. Get out of the bottle. I command you."

Phoebe crossed her arms and immediately turned into blue smoke and zoomed out of the bottle. It settled on the floor and she materialized. Piper looked at her and smiled while Meredith snorted. Hearing Meredith, Piper started to giggle, which caused Meredith to lose it.

"You look ridiculous!" Piper told her as Meredith collapsed on the ground.

"I feel ridiculous." Phoebe replied.

"Well, how am I supposed to get back to Greg now with this?" Piper asked.

"Better question: how am I supposed to function when you look like that?" Meredith asked through her laughter.

"Is that all you care about?" Phoebe demanded. "Would you look at me? I am trapped in pantaloons right now. Where's the mirr – look."

She turned and looked in the mirror.

"And why do I always get stuck with the wig?" she demanded.

"Trust me, you don't." Piper replied. "Leo!"

"Have you ever noticed that Leo is the first person you call in your time of need?" Chris asked.

Meredith shook her head at him as Leo orbed in.

"Uh-oh." He said, seeing Phoebe.

"Yeah, right?" Phoebe said. "'Uh-oh'."

"I still can't believe you made a wish with a genie." Piper said. "You know better than that."

"I thought she was an innocent." Phoebe told her. "How was I to know that I was gonna unleash a demon?"

"It says so right here." Leo told her, picking up the bottle.

"Oh, right." Phoebe agreed. "Right there, in Arabic."

"There's a warning label on the genie bottle?" Piper asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Leo replied.

"What, like 'don't use hair dryer in shower' or 'don't operate chain saw near genitals'?" Meredith asked.

"An ancient sorcerer condemned a demon into the bottle for not marrying him." Leo said. "It says whoever tried to free her, they'd have to switch places with her." He looked at Chris. "Missed a big one here, bud."

"You wanna pin this on me?" Chris scoffed.

"Between the two of us, Chris and I speak six languages." Meredith told Leo angrily. "Arabic is not one of them. You know, you are really trashing all the progress I've made. And I was so close to making my peace with you. Hania going to be pissed."

Meredith glared at Leo and Chris snatched the bottle away from him, putting it on the table.

"Leo, it's not his fault." Phoebe said, trying to defuse the situation. "It's my fault."

"How come your empathy thing didn't give her away?" Piper asked.

"She tricked me." Phoebe said, sighing. "And obviously the Book, too."

"Let's just figure out a way to fix this, okay?" Chris said.

"Preferably without making any more wishes." Meredith added.

"Well, the only way to fix it is to get the demon to reverse the magic." Leo said.

"That's what we need to do then." Phoebe said.

"I'll call Paige." Piper said, getting to her feet and heading out of the attic.

"Yes!" Phoebe called after her. "I do believe the element of surprise is very important here."

"Are you sure?" Chris asked. "Because we could always take our time with this plan, you know, keep Piper around just a little bit longer?"

"Yes, master." Phoebe agreed.

"Good." Chris said. "I'm glad you agree."

"A-actually, I don't agree, but I can't – I can't – " Phoebe sputtered.

She turned to Leo in frustration.

"How am I supposed to take charge and take commands all at the same time?" she demanded.

"Well, you won't have to." Leo replied. "Chris and Meredith are coming back up there with me. The Elders have agreed to send them back to their time."

"What?" Chris exclaimed.

"You can't!" Meredith shouted.

"You don't know what you're doing here, Leo." Phoebe warned.

"You don't belong here, and as your whitelighter, he's doing more harm than good." Leo said.

"You are so full of it!" Chris yelled angrily.

Meredith grabbed his arm and held him back, glaring at Leo.

"This isn't about me being a bad whitelighter." Chris continued. "It's about you feeling like I've let you down somehow! And you're not just punishing me, you're going to get Meredith killed!"

"Chris." Meredith said warningly.

"So whatever issues you might have with us, with me," Chris continued over her, "I wish you would just get over it already!"

Phoebe put her hands together, nodded her head and blinked. A wave of magic passed through Leo and Phoebe looked down at herself, confused.

"Leo?" Chris asked warily.

Leo looked at them, Meredith still holding Chris' arm, and laughed.

"Or course I forgive you, man." He told them. "You don't have to yell! All you had to do was ask."

"I did?" Chris asked.

"Yeah." Leo replied. "And listen, with that whole going back to the future thing, you know, don't even worry about it, because I'll talk to the other Elders, and we're gonna work it all out, okay? I definitely wouldn't want to risk Meredith's life! Don't worry about it. It's no big deal, okay?"

He laughed and opened his arms.

"Come on, give me a hug!" He said, wrapping a surprised Chris and Meredith in a warm hug.

When he let go, Meredith laughed awkwardly.

"Well, why don't you go deal with the Elders, Leo, and Chris, Phoebe, and I will go help Piper." She said.

"That sounds like a great plan." Leo told her.

He orbed out and they all stood there for a moment. Then Meredith punched Chris in the arm.

"What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his arm.

"I" –punch – "said" –punch –"no" –punch –"more" –punch –"wishes!" –punch.

Meredith glared at him.

"Hey, he's not sending us back to the future, is he?" Chris replied.

Meredith threw her hands up in the air and strode out of the attic. Chris looked at Phoebe in confusion and she just sighed.

* * *

"What do you mean 'she didn't read the warning label'?" Paige demanded.

She was on her cell phone at Richard's, talking to Piper.

"I'll explain later." Her sister told her. "The bottom line is we need you home now."

"Well, I can't." Paige replied. "I'm kind of in the middle of saving Richard right now."

She turned and faced a group of living and dead members of Richard's family.

"I'll be right with you." She whispered to them before addressing her sister again. "I took Phoebe's advice. I got his family here."

"I thought most of his relatives are dead." Piper said.

"Uh-huh." Paige replied, nodding. "They are."

"You're holding a magical intervention with ghosts?" Piper asked.

"Well, I thought about it, and I realized that one of Richard's problems is that he's got not family here." Paige explained. "He's got no support system. So the burden of helping him has kind of fallen on me."

"Okay, fine." Piper sighed. "Hey, maybe since you have all those ghosts there, you could get one to help us out when you're done."

"Help us do what?" Paige asked.

The front door opened and Richard walked in, closing the door behind him as his family got to their family.

"Oh, no." Paige muttered.

"What's going on here?" Richard asked, spotting his family.

"Uh, I'll call you back." Paige told Piper.

She hung up and walked over to Richard.

"What are they doing here?" he demanded.

"Your family is here because they care about you." Paige replied. "They've seen what happens to you when you use magic, and they don't want it to happen again."

"You summoned them?" he exclaimed.

"We are here because we want to be here." Steve Montana said. "We need you to listen to us."

"This is crazy." Richard said. "This is an intervention, right? Look, I'm out of here."

"Richard, wait!" Paige called as he turned and headed for the door.

"After everything I've done, this is how you thank me?" he demanded, turning back to face her. "By embarrassing me in front of my family?"

"Look, if you keep doing this, something bad is gonna happen, something terrible." Paige told him desperately. "I can feel it."

The ghost began to disappear and Steve walked over to join him and Paige.

"She's right, Richard." He told him. "Our family, they died because of the magic. You can't let yourself end up like that."

"I can make a power-stripping potion." Paige told him. "It'll turn you back into yourself. Just let me help you."

Richard blurred out of sight without a word and Paige sighed.

"What do we do now?" Steve asked her.

* * *

A fireball engulfed one of the thieves and vanquished him as the others stared. In front of them, Jinny stood with her hands on her hips.

"Anyone else have a problem taking orders from an ex-genie?" she asked.

The Head Thief made his way through the group and moved to stand in front of her.

"We are at your service…my queen." He told her.

"Mmm, 'Queen'." Jinny murmured. "I like the sound of that. Every Queen deserves an Empire. Have you found the location of the lost city yet?"

"We believe we've discovered the site." The Head Thief replied.

"Very good." She said. "Now all I need is that bottle. Gather your best fighters. We're going on a witch hunt."

The Head Thief smiled.

* * *

Leo was sitting at a table in the attic with a pen in his hand and yellow legal pad in front of him. He ripped off a page and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it on the table, starting again on a clean sheet.

"Hey, Piper says to hurry up with those crystals." Chris told him as he came into the attic. "Genie Phoebe's getting on our last nerves down there, not to mention a Meredith that breaks into hysterical laughter every time she looks at Phoebe." He spotted the paper. "What are you doing?"

"I'm writing you an apology." Leo replied. "I just – I can't seem to get it right."

"Leo, come on, man." Chris laughed. "You don't need to do that."

"Oh, I know that I don't need to, but I want to." Leo replied. "It feels good to forgive."

"Yeah, why don't you just hold on to that feeling, okay?" Chris told him. "We gotta go help the sisters."

"Alright, well, in a minute." Leo said, turning back to the paper. "This is just as important. 'Dear Chris…'."

"Alright, alright." Chris said, laughing slightly and taking the pad away. "Enough already. You said you were sorry. Let's just not go overboard."

"Okay, but after everything I've put you through, I feel like I owe it to you." Leo replied.

"Honestly, a letter's not gonna mean a hell of a lot to me." Chris said dryly. "I got plenty of them growing up."

"Sorry?" Leo asked, confused.

"Uh…from my father." Chris covered. "He wasn't around much."

"That's awful." Leo said with compassion. "You wanna talk about it?"

He pulled out the other chair and Chris stared at him.

"No!" he exclaimed. "What I want from you is to grab the crystals and go downstairs to where Piper is. Do you remember her?"

"Sure." Leo said. "But right now I'm a little more concerned about you. You seem a little stressed."

"Yeah, you're damn right I'm stressed." Chris shot back. "I'm concerned about you two. You two need to get back together already. Any chance that's gonna happen?"

"I don't think so, but thanks for caring, man." Leo said, standing up. "It means a lot."

"Wait." Chris said.

He walked over to Leo.

"You still love her." He told him. "I know you do. How could you just throw that away?"

"That's a little personal, don't you think?" Leo asked, seeming annoyed for the first time since Chris had made his inadvertent wish.

"Yeah, more than you know." Chris muttered. "Look, are you telling me that there is no chance that you and Piper are gonna hook up in, let's say – I don't know, the next couple of weeks?"

"Actually, yeah." Leo replied. "That's what I'm saying. We've both moved on, and nothing short of a miracle could make that happen."

He turned and walked away to get the crystals as Chris sighed. The younger man watched him for a moment before looking down at the genie's bottle in his hand.

* * *

Piper was sitting at the table in the conservatory, trying to write a spell to vanquish Jinny, while Phoebe hovered over her shoulder.

"Ah, ah, ah." Phoebe said. "The wording's not quite right there. Jinny is an upper level demon."

"Hey, I don't need a bossy genie on my back." Piper told her. "I'm giving up a lot to be here. I'll write the vanquishing spell the way I want."

"You should invoke the name of – " Phoebe started.

"Do I need to call Chris to shut you up?" Piper demanded.

"You wouldn't!" Phoebe gasped.

"Keep pushin' me." Piper replied.

"Can I come back yet?" Meredith called from the other room.

"Can you hold it together?" Piper called back.

"I promise." Meredith replied.

"Fine." Piper sighed.

Meredith walked back into the room and snorted when she saw Phoebe.

"Meredith!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"It's okay, I've got it." Meredith said weakly, waving her hand. "I promise."

There was a flash of orbs and Paige appeared, looking depressed.

"Back so soon?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, the intervention was complete train wreck." Paige replied. "Richard wouldn't listen to anyone."

"Oh, Paige, I'm so sorry." Phoebe said, taking a step forward.

Paige caught her first glimpse of her genie sisters and a laugh burst out of her.

"You're laughing at me?" Phoebe demanded angrily. "I'm trying to be sympathetic, and you're laughing at me?"

"How come Aunt Paige gets to laugh and I get sent to the next room?" Meredith demanded.

"I'm sorry." Paige told Phoebe. "Maybe I need a laugh after what I just went through."

"Because, she didn't laugh for an hour straight!" Piper told Meredith. "And didn't follow it up by falling on the ground because she could stop!"

"Yeah." Phoebe said, glaring at Meredith before turning back to Paige. "It's okay. Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah…" Paige replied. "But don't you, um, need to go help…Major Nelson?"

She and Piper both burst out laughing.

"What?" Piper demanded when Phoebe glared at them. "It's funny. This is kind of funny."

"And yet I'm the only one who gets sent to the other room." Meredith huffed, sitting down. "Life is so unfair."

"Oh, I can see teenage you is going to be a joy." Piper told her.

Meredith just stuck out her tongue at Piper.

"Let's just finish the spell, okay?" Phoebe told them.

"All right." Piper agreed. "Hey, I want this done just as badly as you do. Did you find us a ghost?"

"Yeah, I got us Richard's dad." Paige replied. "He's hanging out in limbo waiting for my call. Why do we need a ghost?"

"Well, once we capture Jinny, he can possess her and force her to wish Phoebe free." Piper explained.

From the other room, the sound of laughter reached the girls and Chris and Leo entered the room.

"Here's the crystals you wanted." Leo told them.

He put the box on the table in front of Piper and opened it.

"Well, you guys sure are chummy." Paige said suspiciously.

"Yeah, I had a change of heart, decided to let bygones be bygones." Leo replied.

"Really?" Piper asked, surprised.

Phoebe looked between them.

"Guys, there's something I have to tell you." She started.

"Uh, after we talk in the kitchen." Chris interrupted.

"But-" Phoebe said.

Chris just held up the bottle.

"Phoebe?" he said.

She crossed her arms and changed into a funnel of smoke, zooming back into the bottle.

"Now, that was cool." Chris said, grinning. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna have a little one-on-one with the help."

He walked out of the room and Meredith stood up.

"I'm just gonna-" she said, pointing after him. "Yeah."

She quickly walked out of the room, leaving the others staring after her.

"What are they hiding now?" Piper asked.

The doorbell rang and Paige stood up.

"I'll get it." She said, walking out of the room as Leo smiled at Piper.

"You know, Chris is a hell of guy." Leo told her. "And Meredith really is an amazing young woman. You two should really give them a chance once in a while."

Piper just stared at him.

* * *

Paige opened the front door to find Richard standing on the porch.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Richard." Paige replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, came to apologize." He told her.

He held out his hands and a large bouquet of roses appeared in his arms.

* * *

Meredith followed Chris into the kitchen.

"Hey." She said, putting her hand on his arm.

"I know." He told her.

"No, I don't think you do." Meredith told him. "I know I should be angry about the whole wishing your father was okay with you thing, but…It's nice to see you getting along with Leo. I didn't get to see it much."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You know he loved you, right?" she said softly.

Chris stiffened in her arms, but she continued to hold him.

"He loved you." She repeated. "He just never knew how to show you. Maybe you'll have a chance to fix that."

"I don't think so." He told her.

"Just…think about it." She told him. "And meanwhile, please take Aunt Phoebe out of the bottle. We really shouldn't piss off our only ally."

Chris sighed and stepped away from her.

"Come on out, Phoebe." He said.

The middle Halliwell sister zoomed out of the bottle, obviously pissed.

"Hiya, Aunt Phoebe." Meredith said, waving slightly.

"Don't you 'Hiya, Aunt Phoebe' me, young lady." Phoebe told her. "They deserve to know what's going on."

"It was an accident." Chris protested. "What good would it do to tell them?"

"Fine." Phoebe relented. "But only because it would cause more problems than help. Now can we go back in?"

"No." Chris replied as he set the bottle down. "I wanna make mom and dad sleep together."

Meredith and Phoebe stared at him before Meredith leaned over and began hitting her head against the counter.

"You wanna make them do what?" Phoebe sputtered.

"We finally got dad in a good mood, and mom, she's all sexed up for the fireman." Chris said, picking the bottle back up. "This is the perfect time to hit 'em with the whammy."

"I'm in love with a crazy person." Meredith complained. "I should have you sectioned. 'Hit 'em with the whammy.' There is something seriously wrong with you."

"No!" Phoebe said. "We are not gonna make Piper and Leo sleep together. Okay? We're gonna do this my way, mister!"

"'Master'." Chris corrected.

"Oh, you know what, listen to me-" Phoebe started.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I'm running out of time here." Chris said. "A guy's gotta survive."

He looked at Meredith, pleading. She closed her eyes.

"There must be something wrong with me." She muttered. "We're so going to regret this. Do what you need to."

"Now, just hold on a damn-" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I wish for Piper and Leo to sleep together tonight." Chris interrupted.

Unwillingly, Phoebe's hands came together, she nodded her head, and she blinked. From the other room came one thud followed by another.

"What was that?" Chris demanded.

He rushed out of the room, Phoebe slapping his arm as he passed.

"Why are you letting him do this?" Phoebe asked Meredith.

"Because I'm on his side on this." Meredith replied, pushing herself away from the island. "I will do whatever it takes to keep him. I've worked too hard to get him back just to lose him because Piper and Leo won't sleep together."

She walked past Phoebe, following Chris out. In the conservatory, she and Phoebe found Chris kneeling next to Piper and Leo, who were unconscious on the floor.

"They're sleeping." He said, looking up at Phoebe. "You tricked me."

He stood up, angry.

"No, you made me wish for them to sleep together." Phoebe said, motioning to the couple. "And they're sleeping together."

"This is a mess!" Chris exclaimed. "I've only got one more wish to sort this thing out, so if you don't mind…"

"Oh, no, actually, I do mind, because Jinny could be here at any moment." Phoebe protested.

"You know what?" Chris shot back. "I'll summon you when she does. I command you back into the bottle."

"When I get out this-" Phoebe warned as she zoomed back into the bottle.

Chris closed his eyes and sighed and Meredith walked over to him.

"Okay, since you seem to be learning impaired, I'm going to repeat this again." She told him. "Please, for the love of all that is holy, stop pissing off the only family members who are truly in our corner! That includes not sticking them in a bottle!"

Chris winced and Meredith sighed. They were suddenly distracted by the sound of a raise voice came from the other room.

* * *

"You're gonna break up with me over some flowers?" Richard yelled.

"Look, I'm sorry." Paige told him. "It's me or magic. You just have to choose one."

"You can't give me that kind of choice!" Richard shot back.

"I just did." Paige replied.

"You wanna talk about dependencies?" He sneered. "Why are you always running off to be with your sisters?"

There was a loud crash and they heard Meredith scream. Paige looked at Richard and sighed.

"Wait here." She told him, heading back into the house.

* * *

A thief tossed Chris into a cabinet and he fell to the ground, the genie bottle slipping from his hands and rolling under a side table. Meredith was picking herself up from the ground as she sent a bolt of electricity at one of the thieves.

A thief pulled out his sword as Paige ran through the doorway. Meredith helped Chris to his feet as he spotted Paige.

"Find the bottle." He told her. "Phoebe's inside."

The thief with the sword ran towards Chris and Meredith and Meredith grabbed a floor lamp, using it to block the attack. Meanwhile, Paige looked for the bottle, spotting it under the table. She rushed forward to get it while Meredith continued to fight. When the thief was distracted Chris used his powers to throw the him across the room, and Meredith sent a blast of fire at him, which he ducked. He came back at her and she quickly lifted the lamp to block his sword.

As Paige made her way to the bottle, a second thief stepped forward and swung his sword at her. She orbed out of the way and appeared behind him immediately. With his back towards her, Paige held out her hand.

"Sword!" she called.

The sword orbed out of the thief's hand and into Paige's, who quickly stabbed him. He exploded in a wall of fire and smoke and she took a step back. Behind her, Chris and Meredith were still fighting the other thief.

"Chris!" Meredith called, tossing the lamp to him.

He caught it and swung, hitting the thief and knocking him to the floor. Jinny shimmered in and looked for the bottle, spotting it under the table. As she stepped forward, Richard walked in the room. Jinny took another couple of steps forward and Richard leisurely waved his hand, sending her flying backwards into the far wall.

"Aunt Paige!" Meredith called.

Paige turned and threw the sword to the elemental, who used it to skewer the thief in front of her. He exploded in a wall of fire and Chris grabbed her hand, pulling her into him and kissing her forehead.

Jinny slowly got to her feet and Paige looked around for the box Leo had brought down.

"Crystals!"

The crystals in the box orbed off the table and moved towards her.

"Circle!" she ordered, waving her arm towards Jinny's feet.

They materialized, trapping the demon ex-genie. Jinny took a step forward and the crystals activated, trapping her inside.

"Got her." Paige said, smirking.

Jinny tried again and the cage activated again.

"Where's the bottle?" Chris asked, not relinquishing his hold on Meredith.

Paige turned and saw Richard holding the bottle in his hand.

"Richard?" she asked slowly.

He looked up at her and then wordlessly shimmered out of the Conservatory with the bottle. Meredith sighed and turned her face into Chris' chest.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think! Review!

Nobody got me up to 170! Shame! Come on, people! Please don't make me beg. Please.

Abbey


	42. I Dream of Phoebe 4

Disclaimer: La, la, la, la, I can't hear you, la, la, la, la !

Ch. 42:

Paige leaned down to check the crystals at Jinny's feet as the demon watched her.

"You think these crystals can hold me?" she demanded.

She gingerly stretched out her hand to test the cage. It zapped her and she lowered her arm.

"Nope, not for long." Paige replied. "That's why we're putting you back in your bottle."

"When I form my empire, the first thing I'm gonna do is rid the world of witches." Jinny growled.

"Really?" Meredith said, surprised, from where she leaned against the wall. "I think the witches might have something to say about it."

"It doesn't matter." Paige interjected. "Because, when you're back in your bottle, the first I'm going to do is put you in the microwave. Ha! How so you like that? Come on, Mer."

She took Meredith by the arm and pulled her out of the room. Without them noticing, Jenny lifted her hands, holding her palms outward, closing her eyes and concentrating.

Meanwhile, Paige pulled Meredith into the next room, where Chris was pulling a blanket over Piper and Leo, who were fast asleep on the couch. He stood back and sighed.

"Mer, please don't antagonize the demon under house arrest." Paige pleaded.

"But she's just…so annoying." Meredith sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs.

"I know." Paige admitted.

She looked over at Piper and Leo.

"They're still asleep?" she asked. "Have you tried smelling salts?"

"It won't work." Chris replied. "Trust me."

He kneeled down dejectedly near their feet, staring at them.

"What's wrong with them?" Paige asked.

"It's a long story." Chris said.

"I don't know, why don't you give me the cliff notes version?" Paige said, making Chris sigh again. "Come on, Chris. You and Meredith and Leo and Phoebe have all been acting weird since before the demon attacked. What's going on?"

"All right." He said, standing up.

"Chris." Meredith warned.

"I made a little wish." He admitted.

"You did what?" Paige demanded.

Meredith sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Two little wishes." Chris continued.

"Oh, great, it's not bad enough I have to worry about Richard." Paige sighed. "Now I have to worry about you, too. What did you wish for?"

"For Leo to forgive me." He said. "Which, by the way, was an accident."

"And?" Paige prompted when he stopped.

"For Piper and Leo to sleep together." He continued, wincing.

Paige's jaw dropped and Meredith covered her face with her hand.

"You…" Paige sputtered, looking between them. "Oh, my god, you are sick! What is wrong with you?"

Chris shook his head and tried to interrupted, but Paige just ran right over him.

"You're disgusting!" she yelled. "You are some creepy registered sex offender from the future, just – "

"No, no, no!" Chris protested.

"Oh, my god!" Paige continued. "You're so gross!"

"I'm Piper and Leo's son!" Chris yelled back.

Paige froze.

"What?" she asked softly.

"They're my parents." Chris told her quietly. "I came back to save my family."

"You're serious." Paige said, shifting her gaze from Chris to Meredith.

The younger girl nodded.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell." She confirmed for her adoptive aunt. "The three of us, him, me, and Wyatt, grew up right in this house."

"But that will only continue to be true if I can save myself." Chris said. "Because if my mom doesn't get pregnant in the next month, there is no me."

"And with no Chris comes no Jenny, no resistance, and Wyatt simply grinds the world beneath his heel." Meredith added. "And I probably die fairly young. Or wind up queen of the Earth. Either way, I'm against that future."

"This is all so wrong…" Paige groaned, "and this…has been such a long day."

She collapsed into the chair with a sigh. Chris glanced at Meredith and she motioned him forward, so he kneeled in front of Paige.

"Look…" he told her, "I'm gonna orb over to Richard's, okay? And grab the bottle."

"No, you can't." Paige replied. "He's, uh – he's crazy right now. He might hurt you, okay? I need to strip him of his powers. It's a whole thing."

"Well, how's that gonna help?" Meredith asked.

"Well, he's been corrupted by magic and if I don't strip him of his powers, I might not be able to save him." Paige told her. "Who else knows about this?"

"About me?" Chris asked and Paige nodded. "Just Phoebe, and obviously Mer."

Paige took a deep breath.

"All right, you two watch Jinny." She ordered. "I'm gonna go make this potion, okay?"

"Okay." Chris replied.

She got up and headed out of the room as Chris stood and looked down at his parents. Meredith watched him for a moment before getting up and joining him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his chest. After a moment, he wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly. Paige looked back and smiled slightly before continuing on.

The young couple just stood there until Meredith finally broke the silence.

"Does this mean we're still getting Uncle Henry?"

Chris sighed and shook his head.

* * *

Inside her bottle, Phoebe was running from side to side, trying to tip it over.

"Come on!" she muttered, running back to the other side.

Outside, the bottle rocked from side to side on the counter in Richard's magic vault. He wandered around, searching for something on the shelves. Phoebe, meanwhile, continued to run back and forth, causing the bottle to rock back and forth on the counter. Finally, with one last push, the bottle tipped over and she zoomed out in a plume of blue smoke. She looked around and spotted Richard.

"Oh, thank god." She exclaimed. "I thought a demon got me! Why didn't you let me out?"

"I'm not ready for you yet." Richard replied, still searching the shelves.

Phoebe looked around again and realized where they were.

"Hey, we're in the black magic vault." She said slowly. "Um, is there a phone around? 'Cause I'd really love to call Paige and just check in."

"No, you're not." Richard told her. "I know I've got a book of wishes around her somewhere."

"Wishes?" Phoebe repeated as he searched the drawers.

"Yep." Richard replied. "Gotta get the wording right."

"Yeah, maybe you should just wish for sleep, because I'm really good at that wish!" Phoebe told him.

"I just want Paige to accept me the way I am, with magic." He replied. "It's the only way we'll work."

"I don't think magic is the answer to your problems." Phoebe said. "I think it's the cause of your problems."

"Oh, they got you brainwashed, too, right?" he said thoughtfully. "I'm gonna have to cast a spell on the entire family."

He turned to another shelf.

"Aha!" he said, grabbing a book. "Here it is."

There was a flash and Paige orbed into the vault.

"Paige, I told you, don't orb in and surprise me." Richard told her angrily.

"He's not himself right now." Phoebe warned her.

"How come you didn't tell me Chris was my nephew?" Paige demanded.

"Yeah, maybe we could talk about that later, because your boyfriend's about to woo-woo!" Phoebe shot back.

"Look, I'm fine, all right?" Richard said to Phoebe. "I just need to do some reading. I'll call you when I'm ready."

Paige shook her head.

"This is for your own good." She told him.

She threw a potion at him and he deflected it with a wave of his hand, the force of his magic sending her and the vial slamming into the next room and a pillar.

"Paige!" Phoebe yelled, rushing past Richard to where her sister lay on the ground, not moving.

* * *

Jinny stood with her hands still outstretched, concentrating, as the doorbell rang.

In the other room, Chris and Meredith exchanged a look before getting up and walking to the door. When Chris pulled it open, they found Greg on the other side.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work or something?" Chris demanded.

Meredith elbowed him in the side.

"Can we help you, Greg?" she asked the fireman.

"I'm on a break." He told them. "I came to surprise Piper."

"Oh." Chris replied. "Little booty call, huh?"

Meredith elbowed him again, harder this time. He winced and glared at her, and she glared right back.

"Is she here?" Greg asked, looking between them.

"She's asleep." Meredith told him, her glare not leaving Chris. "We'll let her know you stopped by."

Chris began to shut the door, but Greg put his hand out to stop the door, pushing it back open.

"Wait." He said. "I don't believe you."

"Okay." Chris agreed. "See for yourself."

He stepped back and motioned Greg inside. As he followed the other man, Meredith began hitting her head against the door.

Greg rounded the corner and stopped short at the sight in front of him.

"Oh…" he murmured.

Standing behind him, Chris waved his hand and used his power to moved Piper so her head was resting on Leo's chest, and Leo's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"You still want me to tell 'em you stopped by?" Chris asked, slinging his arm around Greg's shoulder.

"Uh, no, that-that won't be necessary." Greg replied.

Chris patted him on the shoulder and winced as he heard Meredith hit her head against the door again.

* * *

In the other room, Jinny was still concentrating. Finally, the flying carpet flew under the Conservatory doors. It didn't even pause as it flew straight to Jinny and into the cage, short-circuiting it completely. The carpet turned to ash and fell to the ground.

Jinny calmly stepped over the circle.

* * *

Chris shut the front door and turned to Meredith.

"What?" he demanded. "I'm doing what I have to save myself."

Meredith sighed.

"I know." She replied. "I just wish you didn't take such pleasure in it."

"It's for the best." He told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the sitting room.

Inside, Jinny stood over Leo and Piper, a fireball in her hand.

"Take me to the bottle." She told them.

* * *

Paige slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Standing off to the side were Phoebe and Richard, who quickly moved to help her to her feet.

"You okay?" he asked as he pulled her up. "I-I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay." She interrupted. "It's fine."

"I'll make it up to you." He told her, looking at Phoebe.

"No, no, no!" Phoebe said, holding up a finger to stop him. "Not that way."

"No more wishes." Paige stressed.

"No, no, it's okay." Richard told them. "It's not for me. Phoebe I wish you free."

A whirlwind of blue smoke rose up around Phoebe and completely hid her from view. A second later, it moved from her to Richard, engulfing him in a gray haze. When it cleared, they saw Richard was now dressed as the genie.

"Uh, what is this?" he asked, looking down at himself.

They all jumped as Chris, Meredith, and Jinny orbed into the foyer, the fireball still in Jinny's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe demanded.

Jinny threw the fireball and everyone ducked. Chris reached out to hit Jinny, but she anticipated the attack, grabbing his arm and tossing him into Meredith, sending them both into the wall.

Paige and Phoebe quickly got to their feet in time to see Jinny pick up the bottle. Richard got to his feet as she stared at the bottle.

"Genie, I wish the Charmed Ones dead." She told him.

The sisters looked at each other as Richard put his hands together and nodded. Both Phoebe and Paige fell to the ground, dead.

"NO!" Chris screamed as Meredith stared in horror.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed to them, while Meredith seemed unable to move. She just sat there, staring, as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Now, into the bottle." Jinny ordered Richard.

Richard crossed his arms and disappeared into a cloud of gray smoke that shot back into the bottle. Meredith moved over to Chris and fell to her knees next to him as he looked up at Jinny.

"My condolences." She said, smirking at them.

With that, she shimmered out of the room, the bottle in her hand, as Chris and Meredith just stared at the spot she had been.

Finally, Meredith turned to Chris, and she stared at him.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

Chris just closed his eyes and shook his head, tears falling.

A/N: So what's up, my people? I know it's been awhile, so let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	43. I Dream of Phoebe 5

Disclaimer: Oh, Charmed, I love you so, why can't you be mine?

Ch. 43:

Chris had one hand on each of his aunts, while Meredith had her head buried in her arms on her knees.

"No." he whispered. "No, you can't be dead yet. It's not your time. I know it's not your time."

He heard Meredith sniffle and he turned to look at her.

"Mer." He said softly.

"They can't be dead." She said, her voice thick with tears. "They just can't, Chris."

They turned back to the sister's bodies as their spirits rise from their bodies. Chris and Meredith got to their feet as the hazy forms rose towards the ceiling.

"I'm sorry." Chris said, his voice breaking. "I'm sor – this – I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. She was gonna kill mom and dad."

Meredith wrapped her hand around his and leaned her head into his shoulder.

* * *

Piper found herself floating, looking down at her body next to Leo on the couch.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "Leo! Wake up!"

Leo shifted in his sleep, his hand unconsciously moving over her heart…and started to glow as he healed her.

"But…how?" she asked as she felt her spirit being pulled back into her body.

Then she was back asleep.

* * *

Paige and Phoebe's spirits lowered until they were standing on the floor.

"Hey, Chris…" Phoebe said. "We're not moving on."

"Why aren't we moving on?" Paige asked.

"Who cares?" Meredith replied. "You're still here. Thank god."

Paige and Phoebe looked at each other.

"Got any unfinished business?" Paige asked.

"No, you?" Phoebe replied.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it would've been nice to find out I had another nephew before I died." Paige said petulantly.

"I was gonna tell you, but I just didn't get a chance." Phoebe shot back.

Paige sighed.

"Guys, we can fix this." Chris interrupted. "We can reverse the magic. All we need to do is get the bottle."

"That's true." Phoebe said. "We're ghosts. We could possess Jinny. Where is Jinny?"

"Well, she was planning to conjure the lost city." Paige said.

"Don't worry." Phoebe told them. "We're gonna take care of this. Should we go check on Piper first?"

"No, no, no." Chris replied. "Piper's fine. I mean, she has to be, right? If she was dead, I would have vanished."

"How do we reach Jinny?" Paige asked.

"You're ghosts." Meredith told her. "You can haunt anybody you want. Just concentrate, and you should wisp right to her."

Paige and Phoebe looked at each other before closing their eyes and concentrated. Their forms wisped quickly away in a ghostly white blur.

"Wait for us!" Chris called, grabbing Meredith's arm and orbing them away.

* * *

Jinny walked toward the newest discovery, the bottle clutched in her hand.

"You sure this is the site?" she demanded.

The Head Thief pointed to the ground in front of them where the skeletal remains of a two-headed animal had been discovered.

"One of the hounds of Zanbar." He told her. "They guarded the city for the sultan."

"I could use a few of those myself." Jinny said, lifting the bottle to look in at Richard. "You ready in there?"

She turned and held the bottle out in front of her toward the desert.

"I wish to resurrect the lost city of Zanbar." She wished.

It took a moment, but then the ground immediately began to rumble. From under the desert sands, the buildings of Zanbar began to rise.

Jinny watched with glee as the city continued to rise, until, finally, Zanbar stood before them.

"Finders, keepers." She murmured with a smile.

"I wouldn't unpack if I were you."

Jinny turned and saw Meredith, Chris, Ghost Paige and Ghost Phoebe.

"Why haven't you moved on?" Jinny demanded. "You're dead!"

"So are you." Phoebe replied.

She jumped, turning back into ghostly mist, and dove straight into Jinny, who gasped and dropped the bottle. Meanwhile, the Head Thief drew his sword and stepped forward to attack, only to be thrown into a wall by Chris' power.

Two other thieves drew their swords and headed for Chris and Meredith, who simply summoned two fireballs and blew them out of existence.

"I think I've got control of her body." Phoebe told them from inside Jinny's body.

Meredith moved forward, grabbing a sword from the ground, and used it to kill the Head Thief.

"Okay, all clear." Paige said as Meredith lifted the sword to rest on her shoulder.

"Good." She said. "Can we get this show on the road, then?"

Phoebe used Jinny's body to pick up the genie's bottle.

"Richard, I wish you free." She called.

The grey smoke shot out of the bottle and surrounded Jinny as Phoebe's spirit vacated her body. As she joined her sister's ghost, they watched as Jinny once again became a genie.

"No!" she yelled futilely.

In a flash, the smoke turned pink and Richard was standing in the middle of the cave, holding the bottle.

"Hi, honey." Paige told him, smiling.

Richard looked into the bottle and saw Genie Jinny inside.

"Let me out of here!" she demanded.

Richard just ignored her.

"I wish the Charmed Ones alive again." He said.

"Yes, master." Jinny said through gritted teeth, as she clapped her hands together and nodded her head.

Phoebe and Paige both disappeared, leaving the other three behind. Richard looked at the bottle thoughtfully as Chris made his way over to Meredith. He took the sword from her and set it against the wall of the cave before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him, kissing her.

"Mmm." She said as he pulled away. "Can we do that every time we win?"

Chris just laughed and guided her over to Richard.

"You okay?" he asked the other man.

"Take this." Richard said, holding the bottle out to them. "Get it out of my sight."

"Sure." Chris agreed. "Could you get rid of that thing first?"

He nodded over Richard's shoulder to the city behind him. Richard turned and saw what he was talking about.

"Yeah." He agreed, nodding. "No problem."

* * *

Paige entered the mansion to find Richard sitting on the couch, studying a vial in his hands.

"Hey." She said softly, walking over to him. "What's going on?"

"Just thinking." He replied.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, looking down at the vial. "What about?"

"Everything." Richard answered. "I mean, sometimes it feels like my life's just one big disaster after the next, you know? Like right from the start, being born into that stupid feud, all that family hatred…I mean, it's amazing that I've gone this far without ending up like one of them."

"Well…Richard, you have." Paige said, sitting down. "And that's what's important, right? And you are here for a reason, for a purpose, you just…have to figure out what it is."

"How can you have so much faith, Paige?" Richard asked. "I mean, with everything out there, all the evil."

"Well, it's because I don't just see all the evil." She replied. "I see all the good, too. Especially in you."

"Sometimes I'm not sure." He admitted.

"I am." Paige assured him.

"Well, I hope you're right, because I'm giving up a lot…to see it, too." He told her. "Like – I – my whole life I've had powers and magic, I mean, even if I didn't use it, it was – it was just a part of me. Now, uh, it's kind of scary that I'm gonna be losing it. And losing you, too."

"Well, you have to take care of yourself first, right." Paige said, tears filling her eyes. "And as long as I'm around, and I'm…bringing magic into your life…you won't be able to."

"I know." Richard said.

"So have you taken the power-stripping potion yet?" Paige asked after a moment.

Richard sighed heavily and tipped the empty bottle over to show her. Paige smiled sadly, tears falling down her cheeks.

* * *

The clock chimed midnight as Chris paced nervously, and Phoebe and Meredith sat on an armchair.

"They're not waking up." Chris said, motioning to his parents. "How come they're not waking up?"

"Can you please relax?" Meredith asked him.

"Relax?" Chris repeated. "I'm sorry, did you say relax? Because I'm about to disappear, vanish forever, cease to exist – "

"Are you getting shirty with me?" she asked blandly, making Chris swallow.

"Oh, my god, you're so dramatic." Phoebe said at the same time.

"Mmm." Leo murmured as he and Piper began to stir.

"Hey." Phoebe said. "You okay?"

"I think so." Piper said, sitting up and looking at Leo. "What – what – what are you doing?"

"Uh, I don't know, I swear." Leo replied. "Um…"

He quickly got to his feet and stood away from the couch.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Piper looked at Phoebe.

"Arabic sleeping potion." Her sister told her. "Very strong. Not good."

"You mean Jinny did this?" Piper asked.

"Who else?" Phoebe replied.

"Well, we gotta stop her – " Piper said, starting to get up.

"We already did." Meredith said, smiling. "Kicked her ass while you guys were napping. She's back in the bottle."

"Which we were sort of hoping you could, uh, take care of for us." Chris said, picking up the bottle and handing it to Leo.

"So that's it?" The Elder asked. "It's all over?"

"Pretty much." Chris said. "I mean, you still forgive me, right?"

"Of course." Leo replied.

"Good." Chris said.

"I still want to know why we all didn't die." Phoebe said.

Chris and Meredith both glared at her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm curious."

"Oh, sure, you don't mind them knowing that they almost died, but not that I – " Chris said, making Meredith and Phoebe glare at him now. "…never mind."

"What are you talking about?" Piper demanded as Chris sat down on the arm of Meredith's chair.

"Jinny made a wish for the Charmed Ones to die and we almost did, but then we turned into ghosts, and – " Phoebe said.

"Huh." Piper interrupted. "So that wasn't a dream I had? I was floating over my body and then, uh…" she turned and looked at Leo. "…you healed me."

"I did?" Leo asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Piper said. "I called to you when you were sleeping and somehow you must've heard me and…you wouldn't let me go."

Leo smiled softly and shared a look with Piper.

"Well, that must be the reason why Phoebe and Paige's spirits didn't move on." Chris said. "See, the wish was for all the Charmed Ones to die, so saving you must've saved them."

"That was really sweet of you." Piper told Leo.

"Anytime." He replied. "So, do you want to go with me to get Wyatt?"

"Sure." She replied.

Leo stepped closer and took her hand as Piper got to her feet, orbing them out.

"Wait!" Chris called, getting to his feet to stop them. "What about - ?"

They were gone and he sighed heavily.

"What about me?" he asked softly.

Meredith reached up and took his hand, squeezing it and smiling softly.

"I wouldn't give up." Phoebe told him thoughtfully. "There may be hope for you yet."

A/N: So that's it for I Dream of Phoebe. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	44. The Courtship of Wyatt's Father 1

Disclaimer: Well, I just don't understand. I would take good care of it! Why won't you give it to me?

Ch. 44:

Meredith woke with a start. She stayed still for a moment, trying to identify what had awoken her. She reached over to Chris, but her hand met an empty bed. She sat up and saw Chris sitting at the desk.

"Babe?" She called softly.

Chris didn't even acknowledge her, he just kept flipping over cards. Meredith sighed and sat up, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on before getting up and walking over to him.

"Chris?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Honey, what are you doing out of bed?"

"Couldn't sleep." He replied, checking a chart before reshuffling the tarot cards in front of him.

Meredith sighed and pulled up a chair to sit next to him.

"Chris, you need to stop this." She told him. "Trust your aunts. They'll help us. Come back to bed."

"What if they can't?" He asked, helplessness creeping into his voice. "What if I've messed up too many things?"

"We won't let that happen." She told him.

He continued to flip over cards, so Meredith reached over and grabbed his hands before making him look at her.

"I won't let that happen." She told him fiercely. "I won't allow it."

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Christopher Perry Halliwell." She whispered. "I've got you back now. I am never going to let anyone take you from me ever again. And if they try, I will slap them down like the hand of god. You don't wanna trust Phoebe and Paige? Fine. Trust me. Have I ever let something change my mind after I've made it up?"

Chris laughed slightly.

"I love you." He told her softly.

"I love you." She replied.

She moved slightly so she could press her lips against his. After a second, Chris deepened the kiss, wrapping his arm around her waist, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Finally, she pulled away, getting to her feet and taking his hand and pulling him after her.

"Now." She said, smiling slyly. "I think I said something about coming back to bed."

Chris grinned and pulled her flush against him.

"Mmm." He said, looking her over. "And what exactly do you plan for me if I come back?"

"Well…" She said slowly.

She reached up and kissed him slowly until he seemed dazed.

"That seem like a good start?" she asked softly.

Chris growled and pushed her back onto the bed, following her down with a grin.

* * *

The front door of the manor was open and party goers were leaving with their parents, loaded down with balloons and party favors. Just inside, Piper, Leo, and Wyatt were saying goodbye.

"Here you go." Piper said, handing one of the moms a bag. "Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for inviting us." Another mom called. "It was a fun party."

"Bye." Her husband said as they left. "Thanks."

They left as the other mom and her husband lingered.

"I still can't believe that Wyatt is one already." The woman told them.

"Oh, I know." Piper agreed. "You can't?"

"Nice to finally meet you, Leo." Her husband said.

"Yeah, you too." Leo replied.

"You know, Frank and some of the other dads get the kids together on Saturdays, if you're interested." The woman told him.

"Uh…yeah." Leo said. "Thanks."

"Excellent." Frank replied.

The remaining guests left, calling out goodbyes as they went.

"I'll call you." Frank told Leo.

"Okay, great." Leo agreed.

Piper breathed a sigh of relief and went to shut the front door.

"Whew!" she exclaimed as she turned to look at Leo. "I'm exhausted."

"Did you have fun?" Leo asked Wyatt happily. "Hmm? Did you like it?"

"Yeah, he was a really good boy and only made mommy freeze the room once." Piper agreed.

She spotted someone else coming towards them.

"Which is more than we can say for our other wayward toddler, not to mention her older counterpart!" Piper said.

"What?" Meredith demanded, carrying Mer with her. "It was only four times! And that last time was not my fault. It was either redirect her power or have everyone freak out over a localized earthquake. I didn't mean for the table to explode."

Piper sighed and shook her head.

"I'm going to put her down for awhile, and myself while I'm at it." Meredith told her. "The mini earthquake took it out of both of us."

Piper nodded and Meredith headed upstairs.

"Well, all in all only one freezing on Wyatt's part, even included in Meredith's four, isn't that bad." Piper continued.

"He was excited." Leo said. "It's his birthday."

"He was excited to see you." Piper replied. "He misses you."

"I know." Leo said. "I miss him, too."

Piper smiled as Paige walked into the room. Leo set Wyatt on the floor as she picked up a bottle of champagne and a glass from the table and offered it to them.

"Hey, you guys want any more champagne?" she asked. "Come on. We don't want it to go to waste. How 'bout it, dad?"

"Elders aren't allowed to drink." Leo told her.

"Oh, come on." She replied. "When on Earth, you should do as earthlings do."

"Sorry." He said.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, 'cause you guys did such great work, but, um, champagne?" Piper asked. "Chocolate-covered strawberries? Oysters? Aren't the kids a little young for the aphrodisiacs?"

"They're aphrodisiacs?" Paige asked with poorly feigned surprise. "Ha! Who knew?"

She sighed and held out the glass.

"Bubbly?" she offered.

"Paige…" Piper sighed.

"What?" her sister demanded. "Oh, come on, there were milk and cookies here, too. You know , maybe if – if there were more kids living in this house, I would know what to get. Do you ever stop to think about that? Huh? Excuse me."

She quickly grabbed some trash and ran out of the room.

"The two we already have, plus the overgrown one that spends her time crashing either here or in my club, when she's not fighting with our overgrown child of a whitelighter, isn't enough for you?" Piper called after her before sighing and turning to look at Leo. "She's been weird since she changed her hair color. She'll probably change it back."

* * *

Paige entered the kitchen to find Phoebe making more strawberries.

"Okay, forget the strawberries." She told her sister. "She's onto us."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe demanded. "She knows about Chris?"

"No, but she knows we're up to something." Paige said, putting the dirty dishes in the sink. "I can't believe how hard it is to get two people laid."

"Paige, that is disgusting." Phoebe said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it's what we're trying to do, right?" Paige pointed out.

"No, we are trying to romance Piper and Leo together so they can conceive, our nephew." Phoebe said.

"And that's different how?" Paige asked.

"Well, because what you said is very Springer." Phoebe replied. "What I said is very Oprah."

"Oh." Paige said exasperated. "Well, whatever show we're watching, we're running out of time. At least Chris is. We should probably tell him."

"Yes." Phoebe agreed. "Chris!"

Chris orbed in immedietly.

"Hey." He said. "So, how's it goin'?"

"Not so good." Paige said, making him look at her.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, the level of panic in his voice rising as he looked at Phoebe. "What does she mean?"

"We're running out of ideas." Phoebe told him.

"Well, that's too bad, because if has to happen today, or I don't happen." Chris replied.

"Wait." Phoebe demanded. "Today?"

"Yeah." Chris answered. "I did the math, and if I'm not conceived by midnight tonight, that's it. I won't be born, which means I won't be coming back from the future to warn you about Wyatt turning evil."

"Yeah, see that time travel thing?" Phoebe said. "Ooh."

"What about making, like, a love potion, just, like, slipping it to them?" Chris asked.

"We're not tricking your parents." Paige told her nephew sternly.

"Why not?" he demanded. "I'm desperate."

"Hey, look, I have an idea." Phoebe said. "Call me crazy, but why don't we just tell them the truth?"

"Sure, let's give them a massive case of performance anxiety." Paige said.

"We're running out of options." Phoebe told her.

"And time." Chris added.

They all jumped as an explosion came from the other room and ran out of the kitchen, Chris in the lead, right in time to see a Darklighter's arrow flying straight at him. Phoebe quickly pushed him out of the way.

"Arrow!" Paige shouted, throwing the arrow back at the Darklighter and it hit him in the shoulder.

Behind him, Leo orbed to Wyatt and picked him up.

"I got you." He told his son. "I got you, I got you."

"Hey!" Meredith yelled from the stairs.

The Darklighter spotted her and quickly orbed out as she threw a blast of fire at him.

Phoebe and Paige sighed with relief as Piper walked to Wyatt and Meredith ran to Chris.

"You're okay, you're okay." Piper consoled her son.

Meredith kneeled next to Chris, who was still on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked, brushing his hair back.

He nodded and looked up at Phoebe.

"Thanks for saving my life." He told her. "Hope it wasn't for nothing."

He sat up and leaned into Meredith as she hugged him.

A/N: Okay, I know it's been freaking forever since I last updated. Please don't hate me! I've been going through massive writer's block. Please let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	45. The Courtship of Wyatt's Father 2

Disclaimer: I have nothing for you.

Ch. 45:

Phoebe used an eye dropper to suction up some of the darklighter's blood before heading back to the sitting room.

"Is that enough to scry with?" Paige asked.

"Only one way to find out." Phoebe replied.

"At least he waited till after the party to attack." Piper said.

"Very considerate of him." Meredith agreed sarcastically.

She was standing against the wall, watching as Chris paced in front of her. There was a rumble from under the house and they all looked at her as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Sorry." She muttered.

A second later, Hania appeared and stalked into the next room to lay down in a huff.

"You know what I don't understand is, why would the darklighter attack at all?" Chris asked, refocusing. "I mean, with all of us here at the same time, it's suicide."

"All the more reason to find him and stop him before he tries again." Piper said.

Leo glanced down at Wyatt sitting in his lap.

"I don't think he was after a whitelighter." He said. "I think he was after me. Or Wyatt."

"Well, then why don't you take Piper up there, and take Wyatt, too?" Paige suggested.

"Yeah, I'll go with you." Piper agreed.

"But you're not allowed." Leo pointed out.

Piper sighed.

"All right, so then we'll go to the Magic School." She suggested. "You'll be safe there. You can't be hurt, right?"

"That's great." Paige said brightly. "One big happy family."

"You change him and grab Little Mer, and I'll pack them." Piper told Leo.

She got to her feet and headed out.

"Come on." Leo said to Wyatt as they followed his mother out.

"Think now's a good time to tell 'em?" Chris asked.

"No!" Paige replied as Meredith sighed. "The sooner we take care of the darklighter, the sooner we make you."

"I'm gonna start scrying." Phoebe said, walking out as Paige got to her feet.

"And I will go start the love potion." She said.

"Wait." Chris said, stopping her. "I thought you were against making a love potion."

"Not if it's gonna save one of my two favorite nephews." She said, smiling at him with a wink.

She walked out of the room, leaving Chris and Meredith alone.

"C'mere." Meredith said, holding her hand out to him.

Chris took her hand and let her pull him into her arms.

"It's going to be alright." She said softly.

"Uh huh." Chris replied skeptically. "That's why we had the mini earthquake, right?"

"Shut up." She said, glaring at him.

She looked down as she linked her fingers with his.

"I'm trying to be brave." She whispered. "I'm trying to be who you need me to be right now, but I'm scared, Christopher. What if I lose you? What if losing you…changes me?"

"What do you mean?" Chris asked softly.

"I'm scared of who I would've grown up to be if I hadn't had you in my life." She continued just as softly. "If my only influence had been Wyatt. I'm afraid of who he would've molded me into. A true queen."

"Everything will be fine." He told her, pulling her into a hug. "Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe will keep us safe, just like always and then we'll look back and laugh soon."

"You? Laugh?" Meredith said, raising her eyebrow.

"Shut up." He shot back.

She burrowed into his arms and laid her head against his chest.

"I love you, Chris." She whispered.

"I love you too, Mer." He replied.

Behind them, the grandfather clock chimed 3 o'clock.

* * *

Meredith stepped into the shadows in San Francisco and stepped out in New York, outside her family manor. She walked up the steps to the front door.

"Can I help you?"

She turned to find a woman standing on the road, looking up at her.

"I'm just checking on the house." Meredith told her.

"Did you know the St. James's?" The woman asked.

"My parents were friends of theirs." Meredith replied. "I was going to be in town, so they asked me to check up on it for little Meredith."

This seem to pacify the woman and she backed down.

"Such a sad thing." She told her. "That poor young couple, dying that way."

"What way?" Meredith asked, curious as to what the public story was. "My parents have never really told me what happened."

"It was horrible." The woman said. "A crazy man broke in at night and slaughtered them, but for some reason, he left little Meredith alive. I always wondered what happened to that little girl. I hope she's having a good life. That's she's taken care of, and loved."

"Some friends of the family took her." Meredith told her. "She seems very happy, and she is very much loved."

"That's good." The woman said, nodding. "Well, you have a good look around and make sure everything's fine."

"I will." Meredith said. "It was nice meeting you…?"

"Allison Cooper." The other woman said. "And you are?"

"Cassandra." Meredith said quickly, giving her middle name. "Cassandra Perry."

"Well, have a nice day, Cassandra." Allison said, before walking off.

Meredith took a deep breath and opened the door, allowing the wards to wash over her and accept her before entering.

Everything was the same as it had been when she and the Halliwells had been here to rescue her younger self.

She quickly made her way up the stairs to her family's potion room and started going through the supplies and readymade potions. Most of what was there had gone bad, but she was happy to find that the object of her search was still good.

She made her way back outside and locked the house back up before stepping into the shadows in New York and stepping out in San Francisco.

* * *

Chris sat behind his desk at P3, pouring over various astrological charts, maps, and tables, trying to calculate, and then re-calculate his conception date.

"What are you still doing here?"

Chris jumped to his feet and looked towards the door to find the janitor, Clarence, looking in on him.

"Thought you'd be out and about by now." The janitor continued.

"Clarence, hey." Chris said awkwardly as he quickly shuffled his papers around to hide them. "I didn't hear you come up."

"Do you mind?" Clarence asked, motioning to the trash can inside the room.

"Uh, please, go ahead." Chris replied.

Clarence stepped inside and started clearing up.

"Beautiful day outside, isn't it?" he said, smiling.

"Is it?" Chris responded. "I haven't really noticed. I've been too busy…rechecking something."

"The whole world seems to be too busy nowadays. Nobody's got time to just…enjoy the day anymore."

"Well, it doesn't get any better in the future either." Chris said.

He suddenly realized what he said and scrambled to cover.

"I mean…I'd imagine." He said, lamely.

"Future don't mean squat to me." Clarence told him. "I'm too old to worry about it. Shouldn't to you, either. You too young."

Chris chuckled.

"Well, unfortunately, I'm kind of obsessed with it." He said, sitting down with a sigh.

Chris rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"You all right?" Clarence asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Chris replied. "Yeah, I just – I just probably need to eat."

"Chris!" Meredith called as she walked up and spotted the janitor. "Oh, hey, Clarence!"

"Hello, Miss Meredith." He said, smiling. "How are you this beautiful day?"

"Is it beautiful?" she asked. "I haven't had time to notice."

"Now, aren't the two of you a pair." Clarence said, shaking his head. "What you two need to do is get out of this hole, get some sun. Live a little."

"Believe me, I'm trying." Chris said ironically.

"Do that." Clarence ordered with a nod.

Clarence finished up cleaning and turn and walked away, leaving the two time travelers alone. Meredith turned and looked at Chris and frowned.

"Are you alright?" she asked, moving over to him.

"Clarence asked the same thing." Chris said, threading his fingers through hers.

"Well, you look…odd." She said, studying him.

"I feel odd." He replied softly.

Meredith kneeled in front of him as he opened and closed his fist, looking at it strangely.

"Here." She said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the vial she had taken from her house. "I went to New York and got this. It's a back up, back up plan."

Chris turned it over in his hand, studying it.

"Is this a love potion?" he asked.

"A little old, but it should work." She confirmed. "I went and got it just encase we can't get your parents together and Paige can't finish hers in time. I don't expect either of those things to happen, but I figure it can't hurt to be prepared."

"No it can't." he agreed, closing the vial in his fist. "Thank you."

"Any time you need to trick your parents into sleeping together so you can be conceived, I'm your girl." She told him, smirking up at him.

Chris took her face between his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You're always my girl." He whispered.

Meredith smiled at him softly and got up, wrapping her arms around his neck as he got back to work.

* * *

The potion pot exploded, wafting white smoke in front of Paige, who sighed. Phoebe looked up from the couch where she was scrying for the Darklighter.

"I thought you were making a love potion." She said.

"I am." Paige replied, shrugging.

"Then why did it blow up?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe I'm trying too hard." Paige said.

"Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Her sister muttered.

"Phoebe!" Paige exclaimed.

"Come on, you weren't thinking the exact same thing?" Phoebe protested.

"No." Paige insisited. "Okay, fine. But for like, a second. The point is, Chris is meant to be."

"But not if he and Meredith changed too much by coming here, you know, messed up his own timeline." Phoebe said.

"We're talking about his very existence." Paige protested.

"Paige, I know, but there's only so much we can do, especially now, with the darklighter out there." Phoebe told her with a sigh. "I just think that we have to face the reality that Chris' destiny might have been just to come here and warn us about Wyatt, and that's all."

Paige didn't reply, and both sisters were distracted by a small noise. They both turned to see Chris leaning against the door way as Meredith moved around him and into the attic.

"Hey." Paige said.

Neither Chris, nor Meredith, said anything.

"Oh, my god, Chris, I'm so sorry." Phoebe told him.

"No, that's okay." He said softly. "I've actually been wondering the same thing."

Meredith made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded vaguely like a growl.

"You have?" Paige asked, confused.

"Yeah." Chris replied, straightening and stepping into the attic. "I have the strangest feeling, like…I don't know. It's really hard to explain, but it feels like I'm – I'm floating? Like I'm not really here, you know?"

"That doesn't sound good." Phoebe said.

"He's not the only one." Meredith told her sadly, not looking at Chris.

"What do you mean?" He demanded.

"I feel different." She told him. "More angry, volatile. And then there's this."

She laid her hand against the mirror and ice spread across the glass.

"My powers are shifting." She told them. "From fire to ice."

"You didn't tell me." Chris said.

"You didn't tell me, either." She said.

"Well, you have to fight it." Paige told them. "Both of you. We still have time."

"Not much." Chris said.

There was a sound and Phoebe started as the scrying crystal began jingling and shaking.

"I've never seen it do that before." Paige commented.

"Maybe that means there's more than one?" Phoebe suggested.

The two sisters shared a startled look.

"I'll go get Piper." Phoebe said, jumping up and rushing out of the attic.

"I'll go, too." Chris said, moving to follow.

"No, you stay here, okay?" Paige said. "Finish the potion. When we come back, your parents will be in the mood."

Paige walked out, leaving the two time travelers behind.

"Come on." Meredith said. "We'll work on the potion so we don't have to use mine."

"Okay." He agreed, letting her pull him to the potion table.

* * *

The SUV drove up the busy street and came to a stop near an alley. The sisters and Leo got out of the car, looking around.

"You sure this is the place?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, down that alley." Phoebe replied.

"Thank god we didn't orb in." Paige said as they headed for the alley.

"Well, we couldn't." Leo told her. "They would've known we were coming."

"Well, maybe they know already." Piper said.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, turning to look at her sister.

"I mean, since when do Darklighters hang out in broad daylight like this?" Piper pointed out. "It could be a trap. Maybe you should stay here."

"No, I'm the bait, remember?" Leo replied. "Besides, if it is a trap, you might need me to help you orb back."

"Well, I got Phoebe." Paige said. "You get Piper out of here for Chr – for Wyatt's sake."

Phoebe grabbed the potion bottles from Paige and they headed into the alley.

"Let's just do this." Phoebe muttered.

Piper turned and looked at Leo for a moment before following her sisters. They walked into the alley, keeping a sharp eye out.

"I don't see anything." Paige said.

On the rooftop above, a Darkligter orbed in and aimed his crossbow. Piper spotted him and quickly blew him up, but a second Darklighter took his place in a second.

"Uh, you take Piper." Phoebe said.

Paige took Phoebe's hand and orbed her out of te alley and onto the rooftop where the second Darklighter was taking aim. The two sisters threw their potion vials at two Darklighters, vanquishing them.

"Phoebe, watch out!" Leo called, spotting a Darklighter behind his ex-sister-in-law.

The Darklighter swung and hit Phoebe across the face, forcing her over the side of the building and onto the trash can below.

The Darklighter orbed off the rooftop and Paige ran to the edge of the building as Piper and Leo ran to Phoebe.

Meanwhile, the Darklighter from the manor orbed in behind Leo and Piper.

"Behind you!" Paige yelled.

The Darklighter raised his crossbow and took aim as Leo and Piper turned. Piper quickly blasted the Darklighter and he exploded with more force than normal. The explosion quickly engulfed Piper and Leo, before collapsing in on itself, vanishing completely, leaving nothing behind.

"Piper!" Paige yelled.

She quickly orbed to the alley and ran to Phoebe, who was struggling to sit up.

"Phoebe!" she called, helping her. "Oh my god, you're bleeding."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "Maybe we should get me to the hospital."

"Yeah." Paige agreed. "I got you."

Phoebe wrapped her arm around Paige's shoulders and they hobbled out of the alley and to the car. They quickly got in and peeled off, narrowly avoiding traffic and pedestrians alike.

A/N: Oh my god, it's been forever, hasn't it? I'm so sorry. Basically, my life has gone a little insane and all of my stories have gone on an impromptu hiatus.

I'm going to try to work on them more, but I'm not promising anything.

I do have a question for you guys: Would it hurt the story if I left out the Piper/Leo scenes? Or do you guys know it well enough that I can focus on Chris/Meredith?

Let me know in reviews or PMs.

Abbey


End file.
